ethnic
ethnic — adjective
1. describing a person or community whose identity is tied to a specific set of cus
describing a person or community whose identity is tied to a specific set of customs, a shared language, or a common ancestry — the features that distinguish one cultural group from others within a larger society.
The school celebrates ethnic diversity through a festival of food and music.
collocation: ethnic diversity
Naoko's family keeps their ethnic traditions alive by celebrating festivals from their homeland.
collocation: ethnic traditions
The survey asks each person about their ethnic group to track population changes.
Lucía learned about the history of the different ethnic groups that built her city.
People of all ethnic backgrounds were invited to share their stories at the community center.
- cultural
broader in meaning — covers all learned behaviour, not just group identity markers
- ancestral
focuses on family lineage going back generations, not shared customs
- indigenous
specifically refers to the original inhabitants of a region, not all cultural groups
用法筆記
Always used before a noun. Unlike 'racial', which emphasizes physical or genetic traits, 'ethnic' focuses on learned cultural practices such as language, religion, and customs.
常見錯誤
2. used to describe food, clothing, art, or music that comes from a non-Western cul
used to describe food, clothing, art, or music that comes from a non-Western culture and is seen as appealing or distinctive because it differs from what is usual in Europe or North America.
The restaurant serves ethnic dishes from Southeast Asia with spices rarely used in local cooking.
collocation: ethnic dishes
Tamar bought a colorful ethnic scarf from a market stall during her trip to Morocco.
The shop sells ethnic home decorations carved from wood and woven by village hands.
Élise prefers wearing ethnic jewelry that her grandmother brought back from a trip to India.
- exotic
stronger emphasis on being unusual or striking; can sound more dismissive
- traditional
neutral term that does not carry the West-vs-rest contrast
- folk
focuses on ordinary people's art or customs, not necessarily non-Western
用法筆記
Some speakers consider this sense reductive or stereotypical because it treats non-Western cultures as a single exotic category. Using more specific terms — 'Thai street food', 'Andean textiles', 'Japanese pottery' — is often preferable in formal writing.
常見錯誤
ethnic — noun
1. a disrespectful term used to refer to someone from a minority cultural backgroun
a disrespectful term used to refer to someone from a minority cultural background, deliberately chosen to express prejudice or to imply that the person is inferior.
The professor said using 'ethnic' as a noun for a person is now deeply offensive.
usage warning: offensive noun
Luca was punished for calling a classmate an ethnic — the teacher called the word unacceptable.
The newspaper apologized when staff called someone an ethnic and readers called it a slur.
Beatrix wrote an essay on why calling someone an ethnic is hurtful and best avoided.
用法筆記
Highly offensive when used as a countable noun. Learners should never produce this usage themselves. The neutral alternative is a phrase such as 'a person from an ethnic minority' or the name of the specific group (e.g. 'a Maori New Zealander').