1
as in racism
the belief that certain races of people are by birth and nature superior to others
the racialism of some of the nation's founders seems to contradict their professed belief that "all men are created equal"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in prejudice
hatred of or discrimination against a person or persons based on their race
an ugly incident of racialism that campus police are investigating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of racialism
Internally, the adoption of multi-racialism as a policy was designed to diminish—even if, initially, imperceptibly—the social and economic influence of white South Africans, and to displace them, at least partly, by the local petite bourgeoisie.
—
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Aug. 2025
In our day, he is reviled for his imperialism, racialism, and even his humorously excessive appreciation for a fine cigar.
—Peter J. Travers, National Review, 7 Dec. 2021
Today, certain people talk about racialism, indigenism, and decolonial theories, but beneath these terms hateful and fanatical agitators want a race war.
—Harrison Stetler, The New Republic, 24 May 2021
King never seriously entertained the utopian ideas of Black emigration or the romantic racialism of Muhammad’s Black nationalism.
—Brandon M. Terry, The New York Review of Books, 11 Mar. 2021
Post-racialism is the promise of working to move beyond the perils of the Black condition in America, an achievement of Black acceleration and exceptionalism; when transcending race was aspirational and thought of to be wholly possible.
—Taylor Renee Aldridge, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Feb. 2021
Hawley describes Roosevelt as driven by a combination of warrior republicanism and crude racialism, which at times led him to adopt autocratic racial theories and dreams of imperial conquest.
—Zaid Jilani, Washington Examiner, 31 Dec. 2020
This seed of scientific racialism waxed and reached its peaks in the years around 1900, before waning in the 20th century.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 Aug. 2011
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Aug. 2025
In our day, he is reviled for his imperialism, racialism, and even his humorously excessive appreciation for a fine cigar.
—Peter J. Travers, National Review, 7 Dec. 2021
Today, certain people talk about racialism, indigenism, and decolonial theories, but beneath these terms hateful and fanatical agitators want a race war.
—Harrison Stetler, The New Republic, 24 May 2021
King never seriously entertained the utopian ideas of Black emigration or the romantic racialism of Muhammad’s Black nationalism.
—Brandon M. Terry, The New York Review of Books, 11 Mar. 2021
Post-racialism is the promise of working to move beyond the perils of the Black condition in America, an achievement of Black acceleration and exceptionalism; when transcending race was aspirational and thought of to be wholly possible.
—Taylor Renee Aldridge, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Feb. 2021
Hawley describes Roosevelt as driven by a combination of warrior republicanism and crude racialism, which at times led him to adopt autocratic racial theories and dreams of imperial conquest.
—Zaid Jilani, Washington Examiner, 31 Dec. 2020
This seed of scientific racialism waxed and reached its peaks in the years around 1900, before waning in the 20th century.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 Aug. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racialism
Noun
-
Cook’s broader economic research on inequality, innovation, and racism’s effect on invention brings policy relevance that might otherwise go overlooked.—
Kori Hale,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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In his remarks, Biden praised Till-Mobley for her courage in ensuring the world would see racism's horrors in her son's maimed body.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
25 July 2023
Noun
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During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
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From hiring algorithms that penalize women to facial recognition systems that misidentify people of color, AI is at risk of replicating—and even amplifying—our worst human prejudices.—
Sagar Gupta,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Troost Avenue had long served as a dividing line of racial segregation in Kansas City, a physical reminder of historic redlining from the Jim Crow era.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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The dismantling of segregation was a profound moral and political victory.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Racialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racialism. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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