racial

adjective

ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl How to pronounce racial (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or based on a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)
a racial minority
2
: existing or occurring between races (see race entry 1 sense 1a)
racial equality
racially adverb

Examples of racial in a Sentence

What is your racial identity? There was racial tension on campus.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Despite the perception of racial insensitivity in his casting, Walter Emanuel Jones is proud to have originated the role of the Black Ranger. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025 Robbins was mostly Black, a place built by Black people who were tired of racial conflict in Chicago. D. Watkins, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025 Already, the space agency has shuttered two of its top policy offices and scrubbed references to gender and racial diversity from its websites and communications in response to Trump’s executive order to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025 The essence of the Lost Cause was that the Civil War was not lost and could yet be won by new forms of racial proscription; for white supremacists, the Jim Crow era of disfranchisement, segregation, and one-party Democratic rule in the South was that promise vindicated. Made By History, Time, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for racial

Word History

Etymology

race entry 1 + -ial

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of racial was in 1854

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Racial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racial. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

racial

adjective
ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl How to pronounce racial (audio)
: of, relating to, or based on race
racially adverb

Medical Definition

racial

adjective
ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl How to pronounce racial (audio)
: of, relating to, or based on a race

More from Merriam-Webster on racial

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