ethnicity
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a word sometimes used instead of 'race' to talk about a person's physical or family origins.
used as a synonym for race or common ancestry, often as a more formal or euphemistic alternative in social and political discourse.
Simple“The form asked for my ethnicity and my age.”
In context“Sociologists argue that ethnicity is a more useful category than race because it encompasses shared history and language rather than just physical traits.”
“Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, he said he felt Arday was used as "bragging rights by some universities", and that people spoke of his "age and his ethnicity rather than his talent".”
“But since the results differed by ethnicity, further research is needed in larger samples to replicate the differences, she said.”
From ethnic + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.