brownface
noun
brown·face
ˈbrau̇n-ˌfās 
: dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a person of color usually of Latin American, Middle Eastern, or South Asian descent and especially to mock or ridicule such people
specifically
: such makeup worn by a white performer playing the role of a person of color
The original "West Side Story" is an almost perfect film, minus the racist casting of white actors to play Latinx roles in brownface. Spielberg didn't repeat that mistake … —
Joey Morona
Joey Morona Note: The use of brownface makeup is considered deeply offensive.
compare blackface, yellowfaceExamples of brownface in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s what lawmakers grappled with Monday when a local conservative provocateur came to testify on an immigration bill wearing brownface and a sombrero and speaking Spanish.
—Idaho Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026
John Leguizamo, introducing Television Academy chair Cris Abrego, made a fiery speech calling out the plentiful brownface in Hollywood’s past and celebrating the diversity among this year’s nominees (34 actors of color were nominated in the performance categories).
—Constance Grady, Vox, 16 Sep. 2024
The practice of brownface—a close cousin of yellowface that involved a white actor darkening their skin through mounds of makeup to cosplay as South Asian—was a routine charade for many white actors.
—Hazlitt, 6 Sep. 2023
The editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned after a photo of him and his wife dressed in brownface for Halloween in 2013 surfaced.
—Emma Colton, Washington Examiner, 11 June 2020
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Idaho Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026
John Leguizamo, introducing Television Academy chair Cris Abrego, made a fiery speech calling out the plentiful brownface in Hollywood’s past and celebrating the diversity among this year’s nominees (34 actors of color were nominated in the performance categories).
—Constance Grady, Vox, 16 Sep. 2024
The practice of brownface—a close cousin of yellowface that involved a white actor darkening their skin through mounds of makeup to cosplay as South Asian—was a routine charade for many white actors.
—Hazlitt, 6 Sep. 2023
The editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned after a photo of him and his wife dressed in brownface for Halloween in 2013 surfaced.
—Emma Colton, Washington Examiner, 11 June 2020
Cite this Entry
“Brownface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brownface. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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