Definition of racism
1
: a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
Ladino elites used racism to justify the displacement and enslavement of the indigenous population, and these beliefs, along with the resentment created by the continued exploitation of indigenous land and labor, culminated in the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996).— Mariana Calvo … how do we begin undoing the processes of internalized hatred and internalized racism?— bell hooks
also
: behavior or attitudes that reflect and foster this belief : racial discrimination or prejudice
The kind of trenchant racism to which black people have persistently been subjected can never be defeated by making its victims more respectable. The essence of American racism is disrespect. — Imani Perry From racist graffiti in schools to daily microaggressions and police profiling, rally testimonials highlighted that issues surrounding racism are still very much local issues. — Ryan J. Degan The War on Drugs, cloaked in race-neutral language, offered whites opposed to racial reform a unique opportunity to express their hostility toward blacks and black progress, without being exposed to the charge of racism. — Michelle Alexander
2a
: the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another
specifically
: white supremacy sense 2
institutional racism One of the many ruses racism achieves is the virtual erasure of historical contributions by people of color. — Angela Y. Davis Discriminatory housing practices, redlining neighborhoods, underfunded education, lack of access to healthcare, racial profiling, police brutality and mass incarceration are just a few examples of cage wires that all together contribute to structural racism. — Sylvia Luetmer Our nation faces a fork in the road and a decision to either continue down the same path of systemic racism or to confront our past honestly. — Bree Newsome "People of color, low-income people, and Indigenous peoples have been made especially vulnerable through decades of environmental racism: policies that intentionally concentrate pollution and toxic hazards in our communities." — Michele Roberts
b
: a political or social system founded on racism and designed to execute its principles
In 1913 the Natives Land Act reserved 90% of the country for whites, who then made up 21% of the population. Under the formalised racism of apartheid 3.5m blacks were forcibly moved to isolated reservations called "homelands." — The Economist
Test Your Vocabulary
Odd Habits and Quirks
-
- Which of the following best describes an easily irritated person?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share racism
Time Traveler for racism
The first known use of racism was in 1902
See more words from the same year