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

Under IWW organizers, “Bread and Roses” became the first successful interracial, cross-ethnic industrial strike in U.S. history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Kacie was quick to give her assurance that being an interracial couple wasn’t an issue.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025

Interracial same-sex couples — that is, actors playing interracial same-sex couples — appeared in insurance commercials, as a kind of knowing wink to better-attuned viewers: We’ve come a long way, baby!

From Salon • Sep. 14, 2025

What would happen if, for example, the parents in Mahmoud took issue with the fact that Uncle Bobby’s Wedding appears to portray an interracial wedding?

From Slate • Jul. 9, 2025

He assigned the following probabilities to the characteristics in question: yellow car—1/10; man with a mustache—1/4; woman with a ponytail— 1/10; woman with blond hair—1/3; black man with a beard—1/10; interracial couple in a car—1/1,000.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• multicultural