Meanings
plural ethnicities
- countableuncountableThe common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.
1 more example
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.
2012 March-April, Jan Sapp, “Race Finished”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 05 Sep 2015, page 164 - countableuncountableAn ethnic group.
1 more example
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.
2021 December 14, Hibaq Farah, quoting Zee S, “‘BTS taught me that I am worthy’: readers on why they love the K-pop superstars”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Apr 2022 - countableeuphemisticinformaluncountableRace; common ancestry.
- countableinformaluncountableNational origin.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*swé
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*swe-dʰh₁-
- Proto-Hellenic*séswōtʰa
- Ancient Greekἔθω (éthō)
- Ancient Greekἔθνος (éthnos)
- Ancient Greekἐθνικός (ethnikós)
- Latinethnicus
- Middle Englishethnik
- Englishethnic
- Englishethnicity
Translations
Arabic إِثْنِيَّة, مَجْمُوعَة إِثْنِيَّة
- إِثْنِيَّة (ʔiṯniyya)characteristics of an ethnic group
- مَجْمُوعَة إِثْنِيَّة (majmūʕa ʔiṯniyya)ethnic group
Bulgarian етни́ческа принадле́жност, е́тнос
- етни́ческа принадле́жност (etníčeska prinadléžnost)characteristics of an ethnic group
- е́тнос (étnos)ethnic group
- народност (narodnost)ethnic group
Catalan ètnia
- ètniacharacteristics of an ethnic group
Chinese Cantonese 種族 /种族, 民族
- 種族 /种族 (zung² zuk⁶)characteristics of an ethnic group
- 民族 (man⁴ zuk⁶)characteristics of an ethnic group
- 民族 (man⁴ zuk⁶)ethnic group
Chinese Mandarin 種族 /种族, 民族
- 種族 /种族 (zhǒngzú)characteristics of an ethnic group
- 民族 (mínzú)characteristics of an ethnic group
- 民族 (mínzú)ethnic group
Czech etnicita
- etnicitacharacteristics of an ethnic group
Danish etnicitet, etnisk tilhørsforhold
- etnicitetcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnisk tilhørsforholdethnic group
Esperanto etneco, etno
- etnecocharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnoethnic group
Estonian rahvuskuuluvus
- rahvuskuuluvuscharacteristics of an ethnic group
Finnish kansallispiirre, etnisyys
- kansallispiirrecharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnisyysethnic group
- kansallisuusethnic group
French ethnicité, appartenance ethnique
- ethnicitécharacteristics of an ethnic group
- appartenance ethniquecharacteristics of an ethnic group
- ethnieethnic group
- groupe ethniqueethnic group
German Ethnizität, Volkszugehörigkeit
- Ethnizitätcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- Volkszugehörigkeitcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- ethnische Zugehörigkeitcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- ethnische Gruppeethnic group
Greek εθνότητα
- εθνότητα (ethnótita)characteristics of an ethnic group
Hebrew לאום, לְאֹם
- לאוםcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- לְאֹם (l'om)characteristics of an ethnic group
- לאומיותcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- לְאֻמִּיּוּת (l'umiyút)characteristics of an ethnic group
Hindi क़ौमियत, कौमियत
- क़ौमियत (qaumiyat)characteristics of an ethnic group
- कौमियत (kaumiyat)characteristics of an ethnic group
- ज़ात (zāt)characteristics of an ethnic group
- क़ौम (qaum)ethnic group
- कौम (kaum)ethnic group
- ज़ात (zāt)ethnic group
Hungarian etnikum, etnicitás
- etnikumcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnicitáscharacteristics of an ethnic group
- származáscharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnikai hovatartozáscharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnikumethnic group
- etnikai csoportethnic group
Indonesian kesukuan, etnis
- kesukuancharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnisethnic group
- suku bangsaethnic group
Irish eitneachas, eitneacht
- eitneachascharacteristics of an ethnic group
- eitneachtethnic group
Italian etnicità, etnia
- etnicitàcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etniacharacteristics of an ethnic group
Japanese 民族性, 民族
- 民族性 (minzokusei)characteristics of an ethnic group
- 民族 (minzoku)characteristics of an ethnic group
- エスニシティ (esunishiti)characteristics of an ethnic group
- 民族 (minzoku)ethnic group
Korean 민족성, 민족
- 민족성 (minjokseong)characteristics of an ethnic group
- 민족 (minjok)ethnic group
Latvian tautība
- tautībacharacteristics of an ethnic group
Lithuanian tautybė
- tautybėcharacteristics of an ethnic group
Norwegian Bokmål etnisitet
- etnisitetcharacteristics of an ethnic group
Polish narodowość, etniczność
- narodowośćcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnicznośćcharacteristics of an ethnic group
Portuguese etnia, etnia
- etniacharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etniaethnic group
Romanian etnicitate, grup etnic
- etnicitatecharacteristics of an ethnic group
- grup etnicethnic group
- etnieethnic group
Russian этни́ческая принадле́жность, национа́льность
- этни́ческая принадле́жность (etníčeskaja prinadléžnostʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- национа́льность (nacionálʹnostʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- наро́дность (naródnostʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- этни́чность (etníčnostʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- этни́ческая гру́ппа (etníčeskaja grúppa)ethnic group
- национа́льность (nacionálʹnostʹ)ethnic group
- э́тнос (étnos)ethnic group
- наро́дность (naródnostʹ)ethnic group
Slovak etnicita
- etnicitacharacteristics of an ethnic group
Spanish etnicidad, etnia
- etnicidadcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etniaethnic group
Swedish etnicitet, etnicitet
- etnicitetcharacteristics of an ethnic group
- etnicitetethnic group
Thai ชาติพันธุ์, เชื้อชาติ
- ชาติพันธุ์ (châat-dtì-pan)characteristics of an ethnic group
- เชื้อชาติ (chʉ́ʉa-châat)ethnic group
- กลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ (glùm-châat-dtì-pan)ethnic group
Turkish etnik köken
- etnik kökencharacteristics of an ethnic group
Ukrainian етні́чна принале́жність, етні́чність
- етні́чна принале́жність (etníčna prynaléžnistʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- етні́чність (etníčnistʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- націона́льність (nacionálʹnistʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- наро́дність (naródnistʹ)characteristics of an ethnic group
- етні́чна гру́па (etníčna hrúpa)ethnic group
- націона́льність (nacionálʹnistʹ)ethnic group
- наро́дність (naródnistʹ)ethnic group
- е́тнос (étnos)ethnic group
Urdu قَومِیَت
- قَومِیَت (qaumiyat)characteristics of an ethnic group
Vietnamese sắc tộc, sắc dân
- sắc tộccharacteristics of an ethnic group
- sắc dâncharacteristics of an ethnic group
- sắc tộcethnic group
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ethnicity
Cite this entry
ethnicity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ethnicity
“ethnicity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ethnicity. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ethnicity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ethnicity.
Source: ethnicity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.