bigot

noun big·ot \ ˈbi-gət \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of bigot

: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (such as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

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Examples of bigot in a Sentence

"It's scandalous," he said, in the tones once used by Colonel Blimp, Britain's best-loved bigot, who adorned the pages of the Evening Standard throughout the 1930s. —Nicholas Fraser, Harper's, September 1996
A bigot is a hater, she said. A bigot hates Catholics. A bigot hates Jews. … It's no sin to be poor, she said. It is a sin to be a bigot. Don't ever be one of them. —Pete Hamill, A Drinking Life, 1994
One had always to be mindful, moreover, that being a black scholar did not exempt one from the humiliations and indignities that a society with more than its share of bigots can heap upon a black person, regardless of education … —John Hope Franklin, "John Hope Franklin: A Life of Learning," 1988, in Race and History, 1989
He was labeled a bigot after making some offensive comments.
an incorrigible bigot who hasn't entertained a new thought in years

Recent Examples of bigot from the Web

But law societies across the country held public meetings during which Trinity’s students and faculty were called bigots and worse.

— bob kuhn, WSJ, "Canada Attacks Religious Freedom," 21 June 2018
Again, to be very clear, no one actually believes Brown is a hateful bigot, and there’s no evidence she’s made any statements even remotely related to those being attributed to her.

— alex abad-santos, Vox, "How the “homophobic Millie Bobby Brown” meme made the actress quit Twitter.," 14 June 2018
Another progressive approach is to write off the white working class as a group of irredeemable bigots who are unwelcome in polite liberal society.

— WSJ, "Elites Miss the Point on Immigration Politics," 13 July 2018
Dixon residents, among others, are demanding a recall to get this bigot out of office.

— eric duran /, NBC News, "Elected official under fire after calling for 'Straight Pride' Month," 6 July 2018
Blacks who the man had meant to shoot welcomed the bigot with outstretched arms.

— john schmid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "With childhood trauma in spotlight, Milwaukee native's book profiles woman who saves lives," 22 June 2018
In 2018, most of us are lucky enough not to work with outright bigots.

— nick levine, GQ, "How to Be Gay at Work," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bigot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bigot

French, hypocrite, bigot

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First Known Use: 1660

in the meaning defined above

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bigot Synonyms

Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, intelligentsia, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture

BIGOT Defined for English Language Learners

bigot

noun

Definition of bigot for English Language Learners

: a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc. : a bigoted person; especially : a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)