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

But Malema was convicted of hate speech for making threats last year, and his party won less than ten per cent of the national vote in the most recent South African election—hardly a ringing endorsement of his ideas. —Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026

If hate speech crosses into those areas, the government or police may legally step in. —Cate Charron, IndyStar, 13 Mar. 2026

Online hate speech and misinformation have been implicated in fueling atrocities in places like Myanmar, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka. —Arnaud Kurze, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026

The offenses were logged in police reports as hate speech and included on the surging list of antisemitic incidents in Germany since 2023. —Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026

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)