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ethnocentrism

[ eth-noh-sen-triz-uhm ]
/ ˌɛθ noʊˈsɛn trɪz əm /
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noun
Sociology. the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture.
a tendency to view other ethnic or cultural groups from the perspective of one's own.
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Origin of ethnocentrism

First recorded in 1905–10; ethno- + cent(e)r + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM ethnocentrism

eth·no·cen·tric, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ethnocentrism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ethnocentrism

ethnocentrism
/ (ˌɛθnəʊˈsɛnˌtrɪzəm) /

noun
belief in the intrinsic superiority of the nation, culture, or group to which one belongs, often accompanied by feelings of dislike for other groups

Derived forms of ethnocentrism

ethnocentric, adjectiveethnocentrically, adverbethnocentricity, noun
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

Cultural definitions for ethnocentrism

ethnocentrism
[ (eth-noh-sen-triz-uhm) ]

The belief that one's own culture is superior to all others and is the standard by which all other cultures should be measured.

notes for ethnocentrism

Early social scientists in the nineteenth century operated from an ethnocentric point of view. So-called primitive tribes, for example, were studied by anthropologists to illustrate how human civilization had progressed from “savage” customs toward the accomplishments of Western industrial society.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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