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

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

Louisiana adopted the practice in 1898, fueled by efforts to maintain white supremacy after the Civil War. —Sara Cline, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025

Biden orchestrated a witch hunt, having General Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin investigate white supremacy in the military. —Carl Burdette, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2025

Congress didn’t rush to pass legislation to crack down on white supremacy or domestic terrorism. —Abdallah Fayyad, Vox, 27 Mar. 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