racist

racist — noun

1. a person who treats people from other racial groups unfairly or speaks about the

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who treats people from other racial groups unfairly or speaks about them in harmful ways because they are firmly convinced that their own race is naturally superior.

Example

Several residents complained that their new neighbour was a racist who refused to speak to families of other backgrounds.

a racist (countable noun after verb 'be')

The politician was widely called a racist after suggesting that immigration rules should favour one skin colour over another.

call someone a racist (verb + object + complement)

Common collocations
  • avowed racist
  • unrepentant racist
  • self-confessed racist
  • known racist
Synonyms
  • bigot

    broader term; a bigot is intolerant of any group, not necessarily based on race

  • white supremacist

    more specific; refers specifically to belief in white racial superiority

  • supremacist

    broader; can refer to belief in superiority of any group, not only racial

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a racist

the racists (plural)

Usage Note

Frequently appears after the verb 'call' in the structure 'call + person + a racist'. The noun is countable and can be used in both singular and plural forms.

Common Mistakes

She called him racist person.
She called him a racist.
'racist' as a countable noun needs an article when singular.
He is very racist person.
He is a racist.
'very' cannot modify a noun; use the adjective form or restructure.

racist — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe negative attitudes or treatment based on group identity, but they differ in scope and focus. 'Bigoted' is the broadest term: a bigoted person is stubbornly intolerant of any group differing from their own, whether by religion, sexuality, or political opinion. 'Prejudiced' describes holding preconceived negative judgements, often without direct experience — one can be prejudiced against a group without acting on it. 'Discriminatory' shifts the focus from belief to behaviour: discriminatory actions or policies treat people unfairly based on their group membership. 'Racist' is specific to race: it means believing in racial superiority or acting on that belief. For example, a remark that stereotypes Asian people as good at maths is 'racist' because it reduces people to a racial assumption, whereas a rule that only men can apply for a job is 'discriminatory' (sexist, not necessarily racist). A person who refuses to eat at a restaurant owned by immigrants is 'bigoted'; one who assumes immigrants are uneducated is 'prejudiced'; a landlord who rejects tenants based on skin colour is acting in a 'racist' manner.

bigotedprejudiceddiscriminatory ↗racist ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • racist attitudes
  • racist behaviour
  • racist comments
  • racist views

Adverbs

  • openly racist
  • deeply racist
  • overtly racist
  • institutionally racist

Phrases

  • be racist towards someone
  • accuse someone of being racist
  • label something as racist

Prepositions

  • racist towards
  • racist against

Etymology

ItalianFrenchEnglish

Formed in the early 20th century from 'race' + the suffix '-ist', modelled on earlier words like 'socialist' and 'artist'. The noun 'race' entered English from French in the 1500s, ultimately tracing back to the Italian 'razza', meaning 'kind' or 'lineage'. The word 'racist' was first recorded in the 1930s, around the same time as 'racism', as political and scientific discussions about racial hierarchies became more prominent.