ethnography

noun

eth·​nog·​ra·​phy eth-ˈnä-grə-fē 

: the study and systematic recording of human cultures

also : a descriptive work produced from such research

ethnographer

eth-ˈnä-grə-fər 

noun

ethnographic

ˌeth-nə-ˈgra-fik 

adjective

or ethnographical

ˌeth-nə-ˈgra-fi-kəl 

ethnographically

ˌeth-nə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of ethnography in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Evolution, ethnography, epidemics—this is the soup from which Dengue Boy, a brilliantly strange new novel by the Argentine author Michel Nieva, emerges. —Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 5 Feb. 2025

Before turning to film, Gómez studied ethnography and music, and the earliest films in Criterion’s collection of her work are regional profiles. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025

Whether due to budget restrictions or a lack of understanding, most teams begin with primary research conducted through focus groups, ethnographies, online communities, or surveys, that talk directly with consumers. —Mary Meehan, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Sociologists have conducted several ethnographies on long-running pickup-basketball games. —The Atlantic Science Desk, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French ethnographie, from ethno- + -graphie -graphy

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ethnography

• arthrography
• biography
• cartography
• cosmography
• cryptography
• demography
• discography
• echography
• filmography
• geography
• hydrography
• lithography

Medical Definition

ethnography

noun

eth·​nog·​ra·​phy eth-ˈnäg-rə-fē 

plural ethnographies

: the study and systematic recording of human cultures

also : a descriptive work produced from such research

ethnographic

ˌeth-nə-ˈgraf-ik 

adjective

or ethnographical

-i-kəl 

ethnographically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb