variants
or less commonly nonwhite
1
: not of a white race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)
non-white immigrants
non-white Alaskans
2
: not of the color white
… I was standing at the very top of the ladder and stretching to paint over the last non-white spot on the ceiling …—
Xaver Bayer
Xaver Bayer
variants
or less commonly nonwhite
plural non-whites also nonwhites
: a person who is not of a white race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)
Examples of non-white in a Sentence
Noun
The program is even less popular among nonwhites.
Recent Examples on the Web
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
Studies have shown that elderly people, women, and non-white people experience undertreatment of pain at a disproportionate rate.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025
After all, although physically he is marked as non-white, Paddington dresses, acts, and speaks in ways marking him as truly English.
—Daniel Horowitz
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
The non-white woman did not attend pool parties (was not invited), so instead thinks of walking on coals or fire walking, the feet never touching the hot surface long enough to burn.
—Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for non-white
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Language in Brontë’s original novel suggests that the character is non-white (though he has previously been played by the likes of Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes, Timothy Dalton, and Tom Hardy), and many voices online suggested that the role should have gone to an actor of color.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
Studies have shown that elderly people, women, and non-white people experience undertreatment of pain at a disproportionate rate.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025
After all, although physically he is marked as non-white, Paddington dresses, acts, and speaks in ways marking him as truly English.
—Daniel Horowitz
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
The non-white woman did not attend pool parties (was not invited), so instead thinks of walking on coals or fire walking, the feet never touching the hot surface long enough to burn.
—Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for non-white
Cite this Entry
“Non-white.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-white. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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