Ethnicity

/ɛθˈnɪsɪti/ · noun

Meaning

The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences..

Definitions by Sense

1. The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.
2. An ethnic group.
3. (casual, euphemistic) Race; common ancestry.

Example Sentences

Few concepts are as emotionally charged as that of race. The word conjures up a mixture of associations—culture, ethnicity, genetics, subjugation, exclusion and persecution. But is the tragic history of efforts to define groups of people by race really a matter of the misuse of science, the abuse of a valid biological concept? […] After all, more and more diseases are reportedly correlated with ethnicity and race.

As a young Asian American, I was lucky growing up in an inclusive suburb, where although known to be predominantly Caucasian, all blends of cultures and ethnicities were embodied in the school populations. That said, the “K-wave” had not reached the depths of Naperville yet, and I remember K-pop lovers being perceived as outcasts all over the States.

Synonyms for ethnicity

Antonyms for ethnicity

Related Words

Word Forms

• ethnicities

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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