Ethnic: Definition, Examples, and Usage Guide

Meaning 1：relating to ethnicity (ethnic)

ethnic 🔊

/ˈɛθnɪk/

adj.

Connected to a specific group of people who share the same culture, traditions, or background.

Ethnic festival with diverse people in traditional costumes dancing

relating to ethnicity 🔊

➕

/rɪˈleɪtɪŋ tə ɛθˈnɪsɪti/

adj.

Describes something connected to a group of people who share common cultural traditions, ancestry, or background.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

ethn- (people) + -ic (adj. suffix) ⇒ relating to a people or nation.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'ethn' = nation in Greek; ethnic = relating to a nation's people.

📖 Example

The school encourages students to share stories about their ethnic heritage during cultural week. 🔊 The school encourages students to share stories about their ethnic heritage during cultural week.

🔗 Collocations

ethnic group – a community of people sharing common cultural traits, language, or origin

ethnic diversity – the presence of multiple ethnic backgrounds within a society

ethnic identity – an individual's sense of belonging to a particular ethnic group

🔄 Synonyms

racial (adj.) – relating to the major divisions of humankind based on physical characteristics

cultural (adj.) – relating to the customs, arts, and social institutions of a group

national (adj.) – relating to a nation or country, often overlapping with ethnic identity

🚫 Antonyms

nonethnic (adj.) – not connected to any particular ethnic group

universal (adj.) – applying to all people, regardless of ethnic background

nonracial (adj.) – not based on race or ethnicity

🌱 Derivatives

ethnicity (n.) – the fact or state of belonging to a social group with common cultural traditions

ethnically (adv.) – in a way relating to ethnicity

ethnocentric (adj.) – evaluating other cultures based on one's own ethnic standards

📖 Cultural Story

From Greek 'ethnikos' (national), from 'ethnos' (nation, people). Originally meant 'heathen' in English, later shifted to cultural identity.