Word
ethnocentric
Meanings
Viewing other cultures through the lens of your own culture and assuming your culture is superior or the norm.
Centered on or focused mainly on the traditions, interests, or perspective of one particular ethnic or cultural group.
Definition
Believing that your own culture is the standard and judging other cultures by it.
Ethnocentric describes a person, attitude, or viewpoint that treats one’s own culture as the most normal or important. It involves evaluating other cultures using the values and assumptions of your own group. This can lead to unfair judgments, stereotypes, and misunderstandings in intercultural situations.
Examples
- His review felt ethnocentric because he dismissed local traditions as if only his own customs were reasonable.
- The documentary avoids an ethnocentric tone by letting people explain their practices in their own context.
- She caught herself being ethnocentric when she assumed punctuality had the same meaning in every country.
- They redesigned the training to be less ethnocentric and more relevant for colleagues working across regions.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse ethnocentric with racist, but ethnocentric mainly means judging other cultures by your own cultural standards.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.