ethnicity

IPA/eθˈnɪsəti/
KK[ɛθnˈɪsɪti]IPA/eθˈnɪsəti/

ethnicity — noun

  • ethnicitysingular
  • ethnicitiesplural

1. a way of grouping people according to shared cultural features such as language,

1.nounB2
Definition

a way of grouping people according to shared cultural features such as language, customs, history, and traditions; also, the condition of being a member of such a group

Example

The survey asked participants to state their ethnicity and age range.

collocation: state / give / indicate your ethnicity

Maeve grew up in a city where many different ethnicities lived side by side.

countable: many different ethnicities

Common collocations
  • state / indicate / give your ethnicity
  • people of all / many / different ethnicities
  • based on ethnicity
  • regardless of ethnicity
  • ethnicity and race
  • ethnic background
Synonyms
  • ethnic group

    more concrete; refers to the people themselves rather than the abstract quality

  • cultural background

    broader and less formal; can include religion and upbringing alongside ethnicity

  • nationality

    overlaps in some contexts but emphasises legal or political citizenship rather than cultural identity

Grammar Patterns

ethnicity (countable) — a specific ethnic group; ethnicity (uncountable) — the abstract quality

Usage Note

Commonly used as both a countable noun (referring to specific groups: 'many ethnicities') and an uncountable noun (referring to the abstract concept: 'questions about ethnicity'). Less formal alternatives include 'background' or 'roots'.

Common Mistakes

Ethnicity refers to your skin colour or physical features.
Ethnicity refers to cultural background such as language, traditions, and history.
ethnicity is about culture, not physical appearance. The word 'race' is more closely tied to physical traits.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Ethnicity, ethnic group, race, nationality, and cultural background all relate to group identity but differ in focus. Ethnicity centres on shared cultural markers — language, customs, history, traditions. An ethnic group is the concrete set of people who share that identity, whereas ethnicity can also be an abstract quality (e.g. 'a question about ethnicity'). Race is a separate category based primarily on physical characteristics such as skin colour or bone structure, though the two terms are sometimes confused in everyday speech. Nationality refers to legal or political citizenship of a country (e.g. holding a Japanese passport) and may or may not match a person's ethnicity. Cultural background is the broadest, least formal term, covering upbringing, religion, and family habits alongside ethnicity. For example: 'Santiago's ethnicity is Mapuche, his nationality is Chilean, and his cultural background includes both Mapuche traditions and urban city life.'

ethnic grouprace ↗nationality ↗cultural background

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • based on ethnicity
  • regardless of ethnicity
  • people of all ethnicities

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Comes from the Greek word 'ethnos', meaning 'a nation' or 'a people'. This passed into Latin as 'ethnicus' (heathen, foreign) and later into English as 'ethnic' (relating to a people or culture). The suffix '-ity' was added in the mid-20th century to form 'ethnicity', naming the abstract quality of belonging to an ethnic group. The modern use as a census and social-science term grew sharply from the 1960s onward.