tribal
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of a tribe.
tribal customs in Indonesia.
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designating, characterized by, or relating to a strong sense of loyalty to one’s own tribe, party, or group.
Tribal politics can be divisive and counterproductive.
adjective
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of or denoting a tribe or tribes
tribal chiefs in northern Yemen
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displaying loyalty to a tribe, group, or tribal values
the tribal loyalties of Labour MPs
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tribal
Explanation
Tribal things have something to do with a group or tribe, like Native Americans' tribal land, where certain tribes lived for thousands of years. You might have heard the term "tribal sovereignty" before — it's basically the legal right of indigenous or native people to govern themselves under certain conditions. In the United States, for example, tribal groups are recognized as "domestic dependent nations." Sometimes the adjective tribal is slightly derogatory, but only when it's used to mean "overly loyal to a group."
Vocabulary lists containing tribal
"Black Panther" Lingo
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -al, -ial
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TKAM excerpt
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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.
In Opening Act, she raps: "I'm a Jaintia making moves/ I'm a tribal."
From BBC • May 15, 2026
He has flipped major rulings on federal regulation, religious liberty, and tribal sovereignty.
From Slate • May 13, 2026
On the question of whether Reform would work with Plaid Cymru, he promised the approach would not be "tribal".
From BBC • May 10, 2026
“Maybe they don’t need to know about all the fighting that we have to do before they get to go out and enjoy and be tribal guardians stewarding their land.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026
Though tribal indoctrination was still the focus of our curriculum in Standard Four, a few new and challenging subjects were introduced.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
