variants
or less commonly lily white
1
: white as a lily
lily-white sheets
2
a
: having or involving few or no people of color : lacking racial diversity
All too often, big-city cops live in lily-white enclaves like Simi Valley, California …—
Les Payne
Les PayneUnless the Saints hire a black coach …, the NFL will continue its lily-white string of hires …—Peter King
Peter KingMost disappointingly, the main cast remains lily-white.—People Weekly
People Weekly
b
: being or having extremely light pigmentation of the skin
a lily-white complexion
3
or Lily-White
or Lily White dated, US politics
: characterized by or favoring the exclusion of Black people especially from politics compare black-and-tan sense 2
4
: lacking faults or imperfections : irreproachable, pure
But Malcolm X has survived the gantlet of historical reassessment. A new generation responds to his principled rage precisely because he isn't lily white and goody-two-shoes.—Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
variants
or lily white
plural lily-whites or lily whites
1
: something that is white
He is a rock-solid, card-carrying free spirit, a young man who wears black tennis shoes in a sport that loves its lily whites …—Bill Dwyre
Bill Dwyre2
usually Lily-White
or Lily White plural Lily-Whites or Lily Whites, dated, US politics
: a member of a political organization favoring the exclusion of Black people
A lifelong Republican in the tradition of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, [Norris Wright] Cuney fought a decades-long battle with the "Lily-Whites," Texas Republicans obsessed with driving African Americans out of the party.—Joe Holley
Joe HolleyKnown as Lily Whites in newspaper headlines, the segregationists maneuvered to exclude Black people from roles of significance.—Jack Schnedler
Jack SchnedlerExamples of lily-white in a Sentence
Adjective
the state's lieutenant governor was the only member of the administration who could claim to have remained lily-white during the scandal
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Sep. 2025
To the naked eye, the sport’s lily-white facade is deeply pervasive.
—Essence, 17 Oct. 2024
The suburbs have long and deep histories of racial exclusion, creating the lily-white neighborhoods that benefited generations of white families.
—Becky Nicolaides / Made By History, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024
Riding was a lily-white sport there, too, but there wasn’t the same kind of ceiling on what was possible for a Black man.
—Ryan Lenora Brown, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 June 2024
Follow Thomas through the lily-white halls of his suburban school that contrasted sharply with his urban neighborhood, trying to reconcile his sexuality with the Christianity that raised him, the exhaustion of code-switching, covering the 2016 election and everything that came after.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024
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Adjective
The broadening Carlile spoke of was evident in the Americanas’ increasing diversity in what was once considered a lily-white genre, as well as the growth of interest among young people for new old souls like Jesse Welles.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Sep. 2025
To the naked eye, the sport’s lily-white facade is deeply pervasive.
—Essence, 17 Oct. 2024
The suburbs have long and deep histories of racial exclusion, creating the lily-white neighborhoods that benefited generations of white families.
—Becky Nicolaides / Made By History, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024
Riding was a lily-white sport there, too, but there wasn’t the same kind of ceiling on what was possible for a Black man.
—Ryan Lenora Brown, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 June 2024
Follow Thomas through the lily-white halls of his suburban school that contrasted sharply with his urban neighborhood, trying to reconcile his sexuality with the Christianity that raised him, the exhaustion of code-switching, covering the 2016 election and everything that came after.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Lily-white.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lily-white. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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