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
Essence, 17 Oct. 2024
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
His appearances on otherwise lily-white TV programs such as the Donna Reed Show, Bewitched, or the Ed Sullivan Show, played a landmark role in the culture.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 19 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
These crowds heckled her during performances and complained to promoters about the invasion of a previously lily-white space.
—Kimberly Bryant, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
The main protagonist, Audrey (Ashley Park), a successful lawyer who was adopted from China by a White American couple, has been best friends with Lolo (Sherry Cola) since childhood, bonding over being two of the few Asians in their almost lily-white hometown.
—Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 5 July 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
To the naked eye, the sport’s lily-white facade is deeply pervasive.
—Essence, 17 Oct. 2024
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
His appearances on otherwise lily-white TV programs such as the Donna Reed Show, Bewitched, or the Ed Sullivan Show, played a landmark role in the culture.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 19 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
These crowds heckled her during performances and complained to promoters about the invasion of a previously lily-white space.
—Kimberly Bryant, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
The main protagonist, Audrey (Ashley Park), a successful lawyer who was adopted from China by a White American couple, has been best friends with Lolo (Sherry Cola) since childhood, bonding over being two of the few Asians in their almost lily-white hometown.
—Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 5 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“Lily-white.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lily-white. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share