man of color

noun phrase

plural men of color
: a man whose skin pigmentation is other than and especially darker than what is considered characteristic of people typically defined as white (see white entry 1 sense 2a) : a man who is of a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a) other than white or who is of mixed race
The following tips and suggestions (born from personal experience as a man of color) are sure to bring relief to this recurring problem, and leave your skin smooth and refreshed.Nathan Townsie
From the beginning, its goal has been to attract young men of color—African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders—to the university and, once there, help them to succeed.Mike Bush

Examples of man of color in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Similarly, the video Som da Maloka, 2024, by Raphael Escobar overturns negative stereotypes about the shelterless men of color living in Cracolândia, a highly impoverished and heavily policed area of downtown São Paulo ravaged by crack cocaine and other drugs. Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026 This crowd is typically younger than men participating in the commercial international dating industry and more likely to identify as men of color. Julia Meszaros, The Conversation, 21 Nov. 2025 Who can embody masculinity without disrespecting women or gay people, who can speak to the men—particularly young men of color—leaving the party in droves. Molly Ball, Time, 29 Oct. 2025 In France, many of these free men of color witnessed the tumultuous storming of the Bastille prison in July 1789 and watched with hope as the revolutionary rhetoric of liberty, equality, and fraternity eventually led the French populace to overturn monarchical rule. Marlene L. Daut september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for man of color

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of man of color was in 1788

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Cite this Entry

“Man of color.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man%20of%20color. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.

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