Racial Definition, Usage, and Examples

Meaning 1：relating to race (racial)

racial 🔊

/ˈreɪʃəl/

adj.

Connected to or about different groups of people based on their physical features or shared ancestry.

Racial diversity hands of different skin tones stacked together

relating to race 🔊

➕

/rɪˈleɪtɪŋ tə reɪs/

adj.

Connected to or about different groups of people based on their physical features or shared ancestry.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'race' (group of people sharing physical traits) + suffix '-ial' (relating to).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'race' + 'ial' — like 'racial' describes anything related to racial groups.

📖 Example

Our community festival celebrates racial diversity with food, music, and dance from all over the world. 🔊 Our community festival celebrates racial diversity with food, music, and dance from all over the world.

🔗 Collocations

racial equality – The state of being equal in rights and opportunities regardless of race.

racial discrimination – Unfair treatment of people based on their race.

racial tension – Strained relations between different racial groups.

🔄 Synonyms

ethnic (adj.) – Relating to a population subgroup having a common cultural background.

cultural (adj.) – Relating to the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a society.

social (adj.) – Relating to society or its organization.

🚫 Antonyms

raceless (adj.) – Not associated with any race.

universal (adj.) – Relating to or affecting all people or things.

🌱 Derivatives

racially (adv.) – In a way that relates to race.

racialize (v.) – To make or become racial in character.

racialization (n.) – The process of categorizing people by race.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'racial' emerged in the 19th century from 'race', which may derive from Italian 'razza' (kind, lineage). It became central to social classification and civil rights movements.