woman of color

noun

plural women of color
: a woman 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 woman who is of a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a) other than white or who is of mixed race
… Sen. Kamala Harris of California, will become the first woman of color to accept a major party's vice presidential nomination on Wednesday.Steve Peoples
In reality the 19th Amendment failed to enfranchise thousands of American women of color—Black, Asian, Latina and Native American.Anna Bloom

Examples of woman of color in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Race created the conditions for one of the greatest original fissures within the feminist movement, which makes Kendall’s exploration of the ways in which mainstream feminism has continued to fail women of color feel particularly timely, even five years after its publication. Emma Specter, Vogue, 15 July 2025 Ellie’s Tale In this gripping screenplay entry, a free woman of color in antebellum New Orleans is captured and forced into the infamous mansion of Delphine LaLaurie. Okla Jones, Essence, 27 June 2025 While inflation and rising interest rates have intensified financial pressure across the board, the impact has been disproportionately severe for those already operating at a capital disadvantage, which includes many women of color entrepreneurs. Alejandra Rojas, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025 And then, women of color are actually the most ambitious cohort in the workplace but experience the most microaggressions and the most headwinds. Mara Santilli, Flow Space, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for woman of color

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of woman of color was in 1791

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Cite this Entry

“Woman of color.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woman%20of%20color. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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