interracial

American  

[in-ter-rey-shuhl] / ˌɪn tərˈreɪ ʃəl /

adjective

1. of, involving, or for members of different racial groups.

   interracial amity.

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interracial British  

/ ˌɪntəˈreɪʃəl /

adjective

1. conducted, involving, or existing between different races or ethnic groups

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Other Word Forms

• interracially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of interracial

First recorded in 1885–90; inter- + racial

Explanation

The adjective interracial describes something that involves different ethnic groups. The word interracial is a tricky one, since there's no real agreement about what constitutes a race. It essentially goes back to ancient genetic connections that link a group of people together and often give them common physical characteristics. Interracial marriage is when people of different races wed — something that’s incredibly common today, but was once illegal in the United States.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interracial

Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, a Black actress who played Lieutenant Uhura, made history in 1968 with one of the first interracial kisses ever seen on US television.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Dreesen and Reid took the student’s advice, partnered up and became the first interracial comedy duo — Tim & Tom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

He later backed the new president's decision to support gay marriage, comparing the situation to the earlier struggle against laws in the country that had barred interracial marriage.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026

Father Leahy’s plan was for St. Benedict’s to be a “small, interracial school,” designed to address “the educational problems of our time,” that was “not going to shovel everyone into college.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

In 1967, the Supreme Court said state bans on interracial marriage violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• multicultural