racial

[ rey-shuhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the social construct of race:

   racial diversity;

   racial stereotypes.

2. (no longer in technical use) of, relating to, or characteristic of one race or the races of humankind.

racial

/ ˈreɪʃəl /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to the division of the human species into races on grounds of physical characteristics
2. characteristic of any such group
3. relating to or arising from differences between the races

   racial harmony

4. of or relating to a subspecies

Derived Forms

• ˈracially, adverb

Other Words From

• racial·ly adverb
• anti·racial adjective
• non·racial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of racial¹

First recorded in 1860–65; race ² + -ial

Example Sentences

The Nazis used some of the same references, braiding environmental purity and racial purity.

From Salon

Hitler himself is said to have called Grant’s book, “The Passing of the Great Race,” about European racial superiority, “my bible.”

From Salon

Brimelow, who refers to himself as a civic nationalist, then launched a website devoted to discussions of racial identity, which he called VDare, after Virginia Dare, supposedly the first English baby to be born on American soil.

From Salon

And the magazine had conducted a survey of 578 white Americans, finding that 38% of those who identified as “racial conservatives” said there was ample scientific evidence of climate change — a leap beyond the roughly 23% of Republicans who say they believe it is a threat.

From Salon

By adding low-income units to these areas, it would lessen a pattern of racial and income segregation that a city-funded report determined single-family zoning plays a key part in maintaining.

From Los Angeles Times