ethnocentric

/ˌˈɛθnoʊˌsɛntrɪk/

/ɛθnəʊˈsɛntrɪk/

Other forms: ethnocentrically

Someone who's ethnocentric judges other cultures by comparing them to his own, familiar culture. An ethnocentric American might compare all the cities of the world to New York City, overlooking their unique charms.

If you use the standards of your own culture to judge another culture, you're being ethnocentric. One example of this is the mentality that all places should be like one's own country. The word ethnocentric takes the Greek prefix ethno-, "people or nation," and combines it with kentrikos, "center." It was originally a social science term, but it gained popularity in the second half of the 20th century.

Definitions of ethnocentric

1. adjective

   centered on a specific ethnic group, usually one's own