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.
New Jersey State Police were facing accusations of racial profiling before a report revealed a sharp decline in traffic stops that coincided with a rise in crashes, some of them fatal. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 29 Jan. 2025 According to Diaz, Latinos are the most uninsured racial/ethnic group in the country, which already hinders their access to health care. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025 Another recalls Chicago’s Red Summer of 1919, a period of deadly racial violence sparked by the killing of a 17-year-old Black boy whose raft drifted inadvertently into a white swimming area at a de facto segregated beach. Patricia Leigh Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Jan. 2025 In one of the biggest surprises, Nickel Boys — a movie about never forgetting the terrible scars of racial violence — wound up in the best picture and screenplay categories despite many pundits writing it off. Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near racial

Cite this Entry

“Racial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racial. Accessed 1 Feb. 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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