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.
Mentions of employee resource groups, which are often centered around racial or gender groups and were a frequent casualty of the corporate push away from DEI, dropped between 2024 and 2025, and many of these references mention these groups are open to all. Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 The outlet reports that the images were obtained by the university for Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz to use as evidence for a discredited pseudoscientific theory of Black racial inferiority in defense of slavery. Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 29 May 2025 This study examined crime data for patterns of racial bias while also looking at police misconduct and eviction policies, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025 The dialogue was undoubtedly meant as light-hearted hyperbole, but given how much the racial roots of country have been part of that national discourse recently, it was understandably seen by many viewers as a failure to read the larger room. Chris Willman, Variety, 28 May 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 5 Jun. 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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