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

The voting section of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division had enforced federal laws that protect voting rights, particularly those that combat racial discrimination.

From Salon • May 4, 2026

To conclude that partisan divisions negate racial divisions would be to assume that even the Civil War had nothing to do with race.

From Slate • May 1, 2026

Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion gives a detailed history of Section 2 and a tour of the Court’s messy racial gerrymander jurisprudence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

To prove a violation, Alito wrote, litigants will have to prove that legislators intentionally drew the maps to provide less opportunity to racial minority voters.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Students rolled up their sleeves and got involved in the campaign to end racial violence against Colored people, including lynchings.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson