colorism

noun

col·​or·​ism ˈkə-lə-ˌri-zəm 

-lər-ˌi-zəm

variants or British colourism

: prejudice or discrimination especially within a racial or ethnic group favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin

Under this system of colorism—the system which prevailed in my childhood in Jamaica, and which has carried over to the present—rarely will dark and light people co-mingle. Rarely will they achieve between themselves an intimacy informed with identity.

—Michelle Cliff

What writer Alice Walker defined as colorism, the preferential or prejudicial treatment of same-race people based on skin color, continues to this day. And as she once wrote, unless we exorcise it "we cannot as a people progress. For colorism, like colonialism, sexism and racism, impedes us."

—Itabari Njeri

Examples of colorism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Does colorism affect how Korean Skincare is formulated? —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 23 Apr. 2025

This initiative includes addressing digital colorism, highlighting how standard filters on social media platforms often alter features and skin tones, perpetuating narrow beauty standards. —Pauleanna Reid, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

For better or worse, the first nine seasons were a remarkable deconstruction of how fragile the foundation of elite performance is when funneled through the lenses of patriarchy, misogyny, and colorism. —Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025

However, with Amandla Stenberg, a biracial actor, cast in one of the lead roles, the film has already sparked a debate on colorism — one that threatens to overshadow a larger conversation about African storytelling in the mainstream. —Susan Akyeampong, refinery29.com, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

color entry 1 + -ism, after racism

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for colorism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism