intermarriage

American  

[in-ter-mar-ij, in-ter-mar-ij] / ˌɪn tərˈmær ɪdʒ, ˈɪn tərˌmær ɪdʒ /

noun

1. marriage between people of different religions, tribes, castes, ethnicities, or racial groups, as between a white person and a Black person or between a Christian and a Muslim.

2. marriage between people of different social classes.

3. marriage within a specific social or cultural group, as required by custom or law; endogamy.

4. marriage between people belonging to the same small group, especially if they are close blood relatives.

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Etymology

Origin of intermarriage

First recorded in 1570–80; inter- + marriage

Example Sentences

Centuries of intermarriage, meanwhile, has resulted in millions of people with a small percentage of Native American ancestry.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2024

Jewish intermarriage rates have risen in the United States.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024

But I have spoken to more than I can count who were treated as though they did not, in fact, belong because they were the product of intermarriage, or because they themselves were intermarried.

From Slate • Jan. 8, 2024

Robbins said her wife graduated from TCU, “so it already generates some intermarriage household rivalry.”

From Washington Times • Aug. 22, 2023

Over time, through intermarriage and social affiliations, a black nobility emerged in Durham, with few links to working people like Ann Atwater.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson