ethnic minority

British

noun

an immigrant or racial group regarded by those claiming to speak for the cultural majority as distinct and unassimilated

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His supporters have attacked other opposition figures online and clashed with the spectrum of ethnic minority opposition groups, who experts say wouldn't accept Pahlavi.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Younger women, those with disabilities, or those from ethnic minority communities and LGBT+ groups are more likely to miss appointments, officials say.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

Six ethnic minority parties picked up nine seats.

From Barron's • Jan. 4, 2026

Latest figures show 57% of magistrates are female and 14% come from an ethnic minority background, with London having the highest proportion of 31%, according to the MoJ.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2026

More than 90 percent of the school’s nine hundred students were black or from an ethnic minority; a fifth of them were the children of immigrants or asylum seekers.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023