Ebonics

noun

Ebon·​ics ē-ˈbä-niks How to pronounce Ebonics (audio)
i-,
e-
plural in form but singular in construction

Examples of Ebonics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At an early age I was taught to speak very properly around white people and to only use Ebonics with Black people. Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Since utterances were only weakly correlated with income and education then perhaps the shorter utterance lengths is a characteristic of their race – perhaps pointing towards the controversial language of Ebonics [26]. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2013

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Ebonics.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

blend of ebony and phonics

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Ebonics was in 1973

Dictionary Entries Near Ebonics

Cite this Entry

“Ebonics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ebonics. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Ebonics

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