ethnic

noun

An ethnic person, especially a foreigner or member of an immigrant community.

(in classical scholarship) The demonym of an Ancient Greek city.

(archaic) A heathen, a pagan.

adjective

Of or relating to a group of people having common racial, ancestral, national, religious or cultural origins.

Characteristic of a foreign or a minority group's culture.

Representative of a folk or traditional mode of expression.

(historical) Heathen, not Jewish, Christian, or Muslim.

Roots

ethnosethn- · Greek · people, nation

Synonyms & related words for ethnic

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Words related to ethnic

Explore words related to ethnic — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include ethnically, ethnicity, cultural, multiethnic, heathenish, racialize, racial, nationalities. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does ethnic come from?

The word ethnic breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root ethn-, from Greek ethnos (“people, nation”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.