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Synonyms

multicultural

American  
[muhl-tee-kuhl-cher-uhl, muhl-tahy-] / ˌmʌl tiˈkʌl tʃər əl, ˌmʌl taɪ- /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or representing several different cultures or cultural elements.

    a multicultural society.


multicultural British  
/ ˌmʌltɪˈkʌltʃərəl /

adjective

  1. consisting of, relating to, or designed for the cultures of several different races

"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

Etymology

Origin of multicultural

First recorded in 1940–45; multi- + cultural

Explanation

Multicultural things are made up of or include more than one ethnic group or culture. Your multicultural food fair might include dishes from Chile, Syria, Sudan, and France. The world is multicultural, and societies in most countries are multicultural. We all need to learn about people whose religions, skin color, histories, and cultures are completely different from ours — you can get this from multicultural education, like a world history class that includes multicultural perspectives. When the word multicultural was first used in the mid-twentieth century, it often referred to Canada. Multi- means "many," and cultural comes from the Latin cultura, "cultivating."

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Vocabulary lists containing multicultural

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.

See Examples For:

It's Friday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he's in the middle of rehearsals for Gorillaz' first ever stadium show - a multicultural, multimedia pop extravaganza, with more guests than a double-booked Airbnb.

From BBC Jun. 21, 2026

And it’s a reflection, I think again, of that eclectic, multicultural London that I know and love.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 11, 2026

It may well be true that stitching multicultural communities together requires us to be more curious, inclusive neighbors.

From Slate May 26, 2026

With its palm trees standing alongside the minaret and its nondescript suburban homes lining the street, this suburb presents the image of a peaceful, multicultural America.

From Barron's May 19, 2026

We were surrounded by love—the eclectic, multicultural Obama kind and the anchoring Robinsons-from-the-South-Side kind, all of it now interwoven visibly, pew to pew, inside the church.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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