Joseph BergerEsquireDonald KenrickClaire Gillespie
The History and Dictionary Meanings of Racism and Racist: Usage Guide
Racism and racist appear to be words of recent origin, with no citations currently known that would suggest these words were in use prior to the early 20th century. But the fact that the words are fairly new does not prove that the concept of racism did not exist in the distant past. Things may have words to describe them before they exist (spaceship, for instance, has been in use since the 19th century, well before the rocket-fired vessels were invented), and things may exist for a considerable time before they are given names (T-shirt does not appear in print until the 20th century, although the article of clothing existed prior to 1900). Dictionaries are often treated as the final arbiter in arguments over a word's meaning, but they are not always well suited for settling disputes. The lexicographer's role is to explain how words are (or have been) actually used, not how some may feel that they should be used, and they say nothing about the intrinsic nature of the thing named or described by a word, much less the significance it may have for individuals. When discussing concepts like racism, therefore, it is prudent to recognize that quoting from a dictionary is unlikely to either mollify or persuade the person with whom one is arguing.
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Examples of racist in a Sentence
Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
And this isn't just the case for white people who are willing to stomach racist referents.
—Leah Donnella, NPR, 18 May 2024
Commenters responded with racist language and by posting information about city employees.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 17 May 2024
While period piece fanatics will recognize Alex Jennings — who plays Lord Ashford — from both The Crown and Victoria, Harry Potter fans will notice Tom Felton playing a racist bigot who doesn't approve of his friend's affection for her.
—Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
But that steadfastness has shown signs of fraying, as a new generation has shrugged off a distaste for hardline nationalist politics, and as memories of the party’s more rabidly racist statements begin to fade.
—TIME, 15 May 2024
According to a Milwaukee police report, an employee made several racist comments to a Black inspector on Aug. 24.
—Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024
However, opponents, including some current students, cautioned that restoring the Confederate names would associate the schools and their county with regressive, racist ideologies.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 14 May 2024
The partnership was a controversial one, as Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has made numerous comments considered to be misogynistic or racist.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2024
Katie Corcoran, The Conversation, 6 May 2024
Over the past couple of decades, John Hughes‘ Sixteen Candles has been seen in a new light, with many calling out its portrayal of foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong, played by Gedde Watanabe, as racist.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024
Some shouted racist, homophobic and anti-Islamic slurs, according to campers interviewed.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
The woman read aloud one of them, which called Mr. Trump racist, sexist and narcissist.
—Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
And in 2020, the company fired Timnit Gebru, a prominent AI researcher who had written a paper laying out how Google’s new AI algorithms could parrot the racist and sexist biases found in the internet data they were trained on.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
But the road to the dismantling of this illiberal, anti-science, racist, and now antisemitic ideology promises to be long and hard.
—Richard T. Bosshardt, National Review, 17 Apr. 2024
This week, the department released a video of an interview an officer conducted with a University of Utah women’s basketball booster who called police to report that a group of racists revving truck engines and yelling slurs victimized players on the team.
—Alexandra Duggan and, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2024
Many of the bits center on race and/or stereotypes, like the one about two enslaved men who are insecure when nobody wants to bid on them at an auction, or the iconic substitute teacher sketch, or the skit that asks an age-old question: Is this country song racist?
—Kevin Jacobsen and Hope Lasater, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'racist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near racist
Cite this Entry
“Racist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racist. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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