racism
/ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/ noun
Forms racisms
- noun The belief that there are distinct human races with inherent differences which determine their abilities, and generally that some are superior and others inferior.
- noun The policies, practices, or systems (e.g. government or political) promoting this belief or promoting the dominance of one or more races over others. “Martin Luther King spoke out against racism.”
- noun Prejudice or discrimination based upon race or ethnicity; (countable) an action of such discrimination.
- noun (countable, colloquial) An act that could be seen as racist, typically relatively harmless and/or unintentional. “I might have just done a racism.”
- noun (colloquial, by extension, chiefly in fiction) Hatred or prejudice against a race (species) of beings, such as an alien race or the human race.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French racisme, equivalent to race + -ism.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “racism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details