racial

American  

[rey-shuhl] / ˈreɪ ʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the social construct of race.

   racial diversity;

   racial stereotypes.

2. (no longer in technical use) of, relating to, or characteristic of one race or the races of humankind.

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racial British  

/ ˈreɪʃəl /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to the division of the human species into races on grounds of physical characteristics

2. characteristic of any such group

3. relating to or arising from differences between the races

   racial harmony

4. of or relating to a subspecies

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Other Word Forms

• antiracial
  adjective
• nonracial
  adjective
• racially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of racial

First recorded in 1860–65; race ² + -ial

Explanation

Something racial is related to the characteristics people have because of their genetic or ethnic origins. Racial differences sometimes lead to racial tension. Members of the same racial group share a very old genetic connection — their ancestors lived in the same part of the world, and they're distantly related. When people talk about "racial diversity," they mean that many of these groups are represented, for example, in a single city. The noun race is at the heart of the adjective racial, and it comes from Old French, with an Italian root word, razza, "race, breed, lineage, or family."

Example Sentences

It also seeks to address the enduring consequences of slavery like inequality and racial discrimination.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

And the VRA requires that racial minorities be given an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.

From Slate • May 26, 2026

Justice, defence and crime ministers held an "urgent meeting" to finalise a "plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", the government said.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

America “stood at what a later era would call a racial inflection point,” he writes, as “the fate of Reconstruction and of the four million Black Americans also hung precariously in the balance.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The spiritual press appealed to their typically liberal audience with articles on the benefits of racial equality and leadership qualities in women.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock