Joseph BergerEsquireDonald KenrickClaire Gillespie
The History and Dictionary Meanings of Racism and Racist: Usage Guide
Racism and racist appear to be words of recent origin, with no citations currently known that would suggest these words were in use prior to the early 20th century. But the fact that the words are fairly new does not prove that the concept of racism did not exist in the distant past. Things may have words to describe them before they exist (spaceship, for instance, has been in use since the 19th century, well before the rocket-fired vessels were invented), and things may exist for a considerable time before they are given names (T-shirt does not appear in print until the 20th century, although the article of clothing existed prior to 1900). Dictionaries are often treated as the final arbiter in arguments over a word's meaning, but they are not always well suited for settling disputes. The lexicographer's role is to explain how words are (or have been) actually used, not how some may feel that they should be used, and they say nothing about the intrinsic nature of the thing named or described by a word, much less the significance it may have for individuals. When discussing concepts like racism, therefore, it is prudent to recognize that quoting from a dictionary is unlikely to either mollify or persuade the person with whom one is arguing.
Andrew KeenSynonyms
Examples of racist in a Sentence
Kirk Siegler, NPR, 7 May 2024
Some Arizona property deeds contain racist restrictions.
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 7 May 2024
As a result of racist housing policies and governmental neglect, many children have been exposed to lead in their water or paint, live in food deserts and deal with other environmental stressors that affect their development.
—Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 7 May 2024
Last year, The Times won the Pulitzer for breaking news for its coverage of a secret audio recording that exposed L.A. City Council members scheming in crude and racist ways — a jarring look at the city’s political factions and power struggles.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024
While coverage of the Derby will probably focus on memorable races and moments from the past, this auspicious anniversary is also an opportune time to scrutinize the racist history of the sport and that of the Churchill family after whom Churchill Downs is named.
—TIME, 4 May 2024
The London-set story revolves around 17-year-old Karim — whose father is Indian and mother is English — and his journey in a 1970s Britain, which was becoming increasingly racist and intolerant.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 May 2024
Critics called the divestment movement unfeasible, but few supported the racist ideology of the white South African government.
—Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 May 2024
She was raised in the racist waters and grew up in the same soil and was fed the same food of the Jim Crow South.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 3 May 2024
Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
And in 2020, the company fired Timnit Gebru, a prominent AI researcher who had written a paper laying out how Google’s new AI algorithms could parrot the racist and sexist biases found in the internet data they were trained on.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
But the road to the dismantling of this illiberal, anti-science, racist, and now antisemitic ideology promises to be long and hard.
—Richard T. Bosshardt, National Review, 17 Apr. 2024
This week, the department released a video of an interview an officer conducted with a University of Utah women’s basketball booster who called police to report that a group of racists revving truck engines and yelling slurs victimized players on the team.
—Alexandra Duggan and, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2024
Many of the bits center on race and/or stereotypes, like the one about two enslaved men who are insecure when nobody wants to bid on them at an auction, or the iconic substitute teacher sketch, or the skit that asks an age-old question: Is this country song racist?
—Kevin Jacobsen and Hope Lasater, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
Hurtado said Ureña has called her racist for objecting to speaking Spanish from the dais.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Silvio and Stephan Marsan allegedly sent racist, homophobic and antisemitic memes and messages in group chats with a number of Brandy Melville employees.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
In the film, which airs on HBO on Tuesday, helmer Eva Orner highlights allegations of a racist, sexist and discriminatory work environment at cult teen-girl brand Brandy Melville from former employees at various levels of the label.
—Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'racist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near racist
Cite this Entry
“Racist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racist. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
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