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
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
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
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
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
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 fusion of racial grievance and post-racialism created a toxic brew, poisonous to the ongoing efforts to contest white supremacy and protective of the invidious status quo that the Voting Rights Act had tried to interrupt.
—Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 23 Oct. 2020
Conservatives claimed the report recklessly lumped legitimate politics together with violent threats, and progressives refused to muster a fight with the Obama administration about racist violence during the short reign of post-racialism.
—Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 23 Oct. 2020
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 Aug. 2011
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
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
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
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 fusion of racial grievance and post-racialism created a toxic brew, poisonous to the ongoing efforts to contest white supremacy and protective of the invidious status quo that the Voting Rights Act had tried to interrupt.
—Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 23 Oct. 2020
Conservatives claimed the report recklessly lumped legitimate politics together with violent threats, and progressives refused to muster a fight with the Obama administration about racist violence during the short reign of post-racialism.
—Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 23 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racialism
Noun
-
The book made theorizing about genetic differences between the races acceptable among certain corners of the mainstream right, paving the way for scientific racism’s resurgence in the Trump era.—
Zack Beauchamp,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
-
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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The series maintains a light touch and a brisk pace while managing to touch on class disparity and cultural prejudice without ever feeling preachy or forced.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
26 June 2025
-
But as with most anything, inherent prejudice reared its ugly head.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2025
Noun
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This is maybe understandable in the former states of the Confederacy where Republicans took control not as the Party of Lincoln, but as the alternative to the Democrats who had abandoned legal segregation after 90 years of succoring segregation and Jim Crow.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
20 June 2025
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The largest detention center in California, Adelanto has for years been the focus of complaints from detainees, attorneys and state and federal inspectors about inadequate medical care, overly restrictive segregation and lax mental health services.—
Jenny Jarvie,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Racialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racialism. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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