white supremacy

noun

1

: the belief that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races

The alt-right is a reactionary conservative movement … . It is characterized by an embrace of fascism, white supremacy, and misogyny …

—Constance Grady

2

: the social, economic, and political systems that collectively enable white people to maintain power over people of other races

… [William] Kelley turned his considerable intellect and imagination to the question of what it is like to be white in this country, and what it is like, for all Americans, to live under the conditions of white supremacy …

—Kathryn Schulz

Examples of white supremacy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Searching for Signs of a Change in Charleston Telling this history—the history of white supremacy and of Black suffering and resistance—matters now more than ever. —Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025

In a country that still struggles to confront its racist legacy, nature seems to be doing what society won’t: tearing down relics of white supremacy. —Jameelah Nasheed, Essence, 29 May 2025

The study framed their feelings as internal failings rather than responses to external pressures, such as patriarchy and white supremacy, which drive perfectionism. —Shari Dunn, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025

Their landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where their lawyers argued that such bans were rooted in white supremacy and slavery laws. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

white supremacy

noun

: the belief that the white race is superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races

white supremacist noun