hate speech

noun

: speech that is intended to insult, offend, or intimidate a person because of some trait (such as race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability)

Examples of hate speech in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These highly visible interventions into politics both inside and outside the United States amplify hate speech, endanger the freedom of the press, empower politicians and citizens who target minorities and marginalized groups, and impede citizens’ ability to make informed choices at the ballot box. —Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Others focussed less on the revelation that our chronically untruthful leader had failed to tell the truth about something, and more on the escalating hate speech about Somali immigrants in Minnesota that the President is now spewing forth on a regular basis. —Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025

One lawyer expressed concerns that Trump’s words will encourage other heads of state to use similar hate speech targeting people as groups. —Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025

The billionaire purchased Twitter and rebranded it as X in 2022, and the platform has seen spikes in hate speech that caused an exodus of advertisers. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hate speech

• microfiche
• overreach
• taoiseach
• beach
• beech
• bleach
• breach
• breech
• each
• keech
• leach
• leech

Legal Definition

hate speech

noun

: speech that is intended to insult, offend, or intimidate a person because of some trait (as race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability)