Word
racist
US/ˈɹeɪsɪst/
UK/ɹˈeɪsɪst/
Definitions
01a person with racial prejudice
n. someone who believes that some races are better than others or who treats people unfairly because of their skin colour.
n. an individual who advocates for or practises discrimination based on the belief that certain races possess distinct characteristics that make them superior.
“The politician was widely criticised after he was revealed to be a racist.”
“Sociologists distinguish between an individual who is an overt racist and the broader structures of systemic inequality that persist in society.”
Usage
The noun is countable and often used as a strong pejorative.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02showing racial prejudice
adj. describing a comment, law, or action that is unfair to people of a certain race.
adj. constituting, exhibiting, or pertaining to racism or racial prejudice.
“She decided to leave the company because of the racist jokes her boss made.”
“The court ruled that the hiring policy was inherently racist as it disproportionately excluded candidates from specific ethnic backgrounds.”
Usage
Commonly modifies nouns like 'comment', 'policy', 'attitude', or 'remark'.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Then, not bothering to hide its starkly racist views, it answered that there were none.” “Griffith, a director perhaps best known today as the racist auteur behind Birth of a Nation .” Etymology
1932 (noun), 1938 (adjective). Formed from racism (1928), paralleling French raciste (1892). Replaced older racialist (1910). Equivalent to race + -ist.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/racist