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ethnicity

Definition of Ethnicity

(noun) A category of people who share a cultural background such as language, location, and religion.

Ethnicity Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: eth·nic·i·ty

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /eth-nIs-uh-tee/
  • British English – /eth-nIs-i-tee/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ɛθˈnɪsədi/
  • British English – /ɛθˈnɪsᵻti/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: ethnicities
  • Panethnicity refers to people or cultures that span multiple ethnicities.
  • People who share the same ethnicity are an ethnic group.
  • A type of ascribed status.

Related Quotations

Additional Information

Related Terms


References

Kaufman, Michael, and Michael S. Kimmel. 2011. The Guy’s Guide to Feminism. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.

Marger, Martin. 1985. Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

McNamee, Stephen J., and Robert K. Miller, Jr. 2013. The Meritocracy Myth. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Rosenblum, Karen Elaine, and Toni-Michelle Travis. 2012. The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Works Consulted

Abercrombie, Nicholas, Stephen Hill, and Bryan Turner. 2006. The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology. 5th ed. London: Penguin.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 5th ed. 2011. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

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Cite the Definition of Ethnicity

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “ethnicity.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/ethnicity/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

ethnicity. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/ethnicity/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “ethnicity.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/ethnicity/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“ethnicity.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/ethnicity/>.