Ethnic

/ˈɛθ.nɪk/

Synonyms for "ethnic" (168 found)

Ranked by relevance and common usage.

Closest matches (34)

Adjective(14 words)
culturalassyrian civilizationassyrian communityassyrian personcaucasiccultural achievementscultural affiliationcultural attributecultural beliefscultural categorycultural conceptcultural contextcultural contributioncultural descriptor term

Strong matches (50)

Adjective(27 words)
cultural festivalcultural gatheringscultural heritagescultural honorcultural literaturecultural occurrencecultural practicescultural revolution era artifactscultural revolutionscultural servicescultural societycultural structurecultural symbolcultural systemcultural system norms etiquettecultural termcultural topiccultural typedemographicdutch identity
Show 7 more words
ethnic categoryethnic enclaveethnic groupingethnicalheathenheathenishindigenous
Noun(19 words)
cultural groupcultural influencecultural traditionscultural traitculture related adjectivedinkaethnic group memberethnocultural analysisevenkigurkhahakkahanhualapaihunkpapaimmigrant quarteringriankathiawarkhoisankickapoo

Related words (84)

Noun(61 words)
Show 41 more words
ovimbundupanjabipawneepigmyportuguese fatorpowhatanquechuanracial slurroman identityromanian inventarromanysalishscythianserbianshawneeshoshonesikhsitsangsonghaisorbiansudanesetadzhiktaiwanesethraciantlingittribal council decisionstribal council meetingtribal council meeting scheduletribal council memberstribal councilstribal courttribal gatheringtribal leaderstutsiuigurvepsianwinnebagoyaquiyiyorubazuni
Adjective(13 words)
maldivianpaganracialromanian continentromanian disciplinăscottishswedish grammartribaltribal assemblytribal customstribal judiciarytribal landtribalistic
Adverb(3 words)
more cultural descriptormost tribal affiliationtribalwise
Determiner(2 words)
most cultural artifactmost cultural practice

Choosing the right synonym

  • Closest matches in this entry: cultural, achomawi, ainu, akha, amharic.
  • Sentence evidence is available for ethnic, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
  • Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse.

Synonym selection checklist

  • Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
  • Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
  • Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "ethnic".
  • Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.

When not to replace "ethnic"

Keep "ethnic" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.

If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.

Replacement workflow

1. Preserve meaning

Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "ethnic" intact in the sentence you are editing.

2. Tune tone

Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.

3. Re-read context

Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.

Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.

Final fit check

After choosing a replacement for "ethnic", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.

If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "ethnic" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.

Related word relations

OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.

6 relation types

More general

5 entries
actorculturedemographic termdoerworker

More specific

5 entries
ethnic backgroundethnic cuisineethnic groupethnic identityethnic music

Collocations

6 entries
ethnic diversityethnic foodsethnic groupethnic minorityethnic studiesethnic traditions

Inflections

2 entries
more ethnicmost ethnic

Derivations

7 entries

similar

2 entries

Sample sentences

19 total sentences available.

Tatoeba + Wiktionary

The point about enclosure is that the configuration of ethnic groups must be clearly described.

Source: tatoeba (28285)

These foods are associated with ethnic groups.

Source: tatoeba (55163)

It is not sufficient to describe the differences in attitude between these two ethnic groups.

Source: tatoeba (61406)

We find diverse ethnic and economic interests here.

Source: tatoeba (61928)

Showing 4 of 19 available sentences.

Common questions

What are the closest synonyms for "ethnic"?

Closest matches include cultural, achomawi, ainu, akha, amharic.

How should I check whether a synonym fits "ethnic"?

Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.

More for "ethnic"