COLORISM Definition & Meaning

colorism

especially British, ��Ǳ�·�ǳܰ�·��

[kuhl-uh-riz-uhm]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

differential treatment based on skin color, especially favoritism toward those with a lighter skin tone and mistreatment or exclusion of those with a darker skin tone, typically among those of the same racial group or ethnicity.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of colorism¹

First recorded in 1960–65; color (in the sense “skin complexion”) + -ism ( def. )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Spike Lee’s musical drama, set at a top historically Black college, took on issues of colorism, “good” and “bad” hair and more.

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Some attributed it to a larger plan of attack, accusing Whitfield of colorism toward Hassan earlier in the episode.

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Anti-blackness and colorism swayed their vote, they said.

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Questions about Harris’ race from Black communities are often just offshoots of a larger conversation about colorism—the relative privilege that multiracial Americans might have because of their proximity to whiteness.

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Wang wanted to explore class and colorism, so another of the novel’s white characters, Hilary Starr, became dark-skinned and Southeast Asian.

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When To Use

What does colorism mean?

Colorism is a form of racial discrimination based on the shade of an individual's skin tone, typically favoring lighter skin. It can occur both within a specific racial or ethnic group or across groups.

coloring book colorist

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