racial

adjective

ˈrā-shəl How to pronounce racial (audio)
Definition of racialnext
as in ethnic
of, relating to, or reflecting the traits exhibited by a group of people with a common ancestry and culture a survey that included an optional question regarding racial identity, age, and other personal information

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of racial Because of the racial melting pot and LGBTQIA+ demographics of the league, the WNBA sits directly on this country’s current cultural and political fault lines. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026 Witnesses said the suspect yelled racial slurs at the victim, officials said. — Jessica Baltaxe, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Witnesses told investigators that Stewart yelled multiple racial slurs at Lewis during the assault. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Less well known is the reptile’s role in the nation’s history of racial stereotyping. — The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for racial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racial
  1. ethnic
  2. ethnical
Adjective
  • The city’s first street food market appeases the vast spectrum of palates and preferences, from vegans' to meat-lovers', by featuring ten culinary traders who specialize in ethnic fare from Greece to the bayous of Louisiana.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Where to Eat and Drink For a town its size (its population is a little under 7,000 people), Mammoth Lakes has a healthy mix of popular dining options that range from comfort food to ethnic cuisine.
    — Sharael Kolberg, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of ethnic
Adjective
  • Genocide is defined as attempting to partly or wholly destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.
    — Ellie Cook Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The United Nations broadly defines genocide as seriously harming or killing members of a group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.
    — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2022
Definition of ethnical

Browse Nearby Words

raceways
racial
racialism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Racial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racial. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on racial

Nglish: Translation of racial for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All