Abstract Objective to analyze, from the perspective of interculturality, the meanings attributed to HIV/AIDS that make up the repertoires of women in interethnic situations. Method a descriptive, retrospective study, developed based on the primary research database. The sample consisted of 642 records, from the application of the Word Association Test, with 386 non-indigenous women and 256 indigenous women from the municipality of Rio Tinto-PB. The responses learned from the AIDS-inducing stimulus were categorized according to group belonging, age and marital status. Data were processed by the IRaMuTeQ software, and analyzed using the Descending Hierarchical Classification, complementary specificities and factorial correspondence analysis techniques. The discussions were based on the three perspectives that encompass interculturality: relational, functional and critical. Results Three classes were formed: Biomedical Repertoire, Socio-emotional Repertoire and Behavioral Repertoire. Biomedical Repertoire was the most significant for both groups, being led by non-indigenous women; the socio-emotional and behavioral constituents were mostly represented by indigenous women. Final considerations and implications for practice in this interethnic setting, intercultural dialogue materializes in the exchange of a heterogeneous way of thinking-knowing-doing, which unfolds in the light of relational and functional interculturality, demonstrating embryonic movements towards critical interculturality.