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

Mandela, who served 27 years in prison, became South Africa’s first Black president in the 1990s after the nation had its first multiracial election. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024

After Tom Morello watched Body Count in 1991, his multiracial rap-rock outfit Rage Against the Machine joined the 1992 and 1993 lineups. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 21 May 2024

Hapa is an abbreviation of the Hawaiian term hapa haole, referring to multiracial people of Asian and/or Pacific Islander descent. —Kinza Shenn, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 May 2024

More than a century later, South Africans have begun to understand that while the color line still matters, the poverty line has become more salient as the country has been dominated by a new multiracial group of economic insiders. —Sisonke Msimang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021

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