multiracial

adjective

mul·​ti·​ra·​cial ˌməl-tē-ˈrā-shəl 

-ˌtī-

1

: composed of, involving, or representing various races (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

a multiracial society

multiracial families

"This is real music by real musicians," exclaimed Prince in the midst of "Controversy," one of roughly two dozen songs he performed before an adoring multiracial, all-ages, pansexual, sold-out crowd.

—Ernest Hardy

2

: having parents or ancestors of different races

Junior high and high school, with their harsh social delineation, can be particularly tough. But multiracial teens who run the gantlet often emerge with a stronger sense of self.

—Lynette Clemetson

multiracialism

ˌməl-tē-ˈrā-shə-ˌli-zəm 

-ˌtī-

noun

Examples of multiracial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perry touches on the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s 1956 Newport Jazz Festival performance in front of a multiracial crowd in Newport, Rhode Island. —Ira Porter, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Jan. 2025

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders were up 6%, and students identifying as multiracial saw a 5.6% gain, followed by Asians (+4.2%), Native Americans (+2.3%) and white students (+1%). —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

And yet for a party and movement built in part on exclusion and a campaign marked at times by race-baiting, there were conspicuous overtures to diversity and inclusion, and sly acknowledgments of the power of the multiracial stew of American pop. —Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025

Similarly, those who identified as white but noted African origins were also reclassified, contributing to the inflated multiracial figures. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

multiracial

adjective

mul·​ti·​ra·​cial ˌməl-ti-ˈrā-shəl 

-ˌtī-

1

: composed of, involving, or representing various races

2

: having parents or ancestors of different races