What does racism mean?
Racism names prejudice, discrimination, and unequal treatment directed at people because of their perceived racial group. It can also refer to the ideologies, institutions, and everyday practices that produce or preserve those inequalities. The term is used both for individual acts—slurs, exclusion, and denial of rights—and for broader patterns such as policies that privilege one racial group over another. In contemporary discussion, systemic racism often describes institutions whose apparently neutral rules repeatedly disadvantage racial groups, while institutional racism emphasizes the institutions themselves. The word is strongly evaluative and is not a neutral label for ordinary disagreement about racial differences. As an uncountable noun, racism usually takes “against,” “of,” or “based on” when describing opposition or basis: “a campaign against racism,” “the persistence of racism,” and “racism based on perceived race.” It is also used morally and politically, so context can clarify whether a speaker means a personal prejudice, a collective ideology, or a structural system.
nounPrejudice, discrimination, or systemic disadvantage based on perceived racial differences; by extension, a doctrine or system that ranks racial groups and treats some as inferior.
- Prejudice or discrimination directed against people because of their perceived racial group.
- A doctrine, ideology, or system that treats racial groups as unequal and privileges some over others.
"The report exposed the institutional racism that had shaped access to housing for decades."
"The report documents how systemic racism shaped hiring across the department."
"Education about racism can challenge stereotypes without denying the history of discrimination."
The plural is rare; the singular form is normally uncountable.
"Historians have distinguished several racisms within the broader term."
Racism is not just a name for hate: it is a name for systems that turn racial prejudice into unequal access, opportunity, and power.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does racism come from?
Racism is a twentieth-century formation built from race and the suffix -ism. The compound is generally dated to the late 1930s, when it was adopted to name racial prejudice and the structures that upheld it. Earlier racial and racialist supplied related vocabulary, while racialism remains especially common in British English.
Related word forms
How racism is actually used
Racism is a strongly evaluative term used in social, political, and legal discussion. It is normally uncountable, though a rare plural is possible.
Easily confused with racism
Racialism is a chiefly British term that often focuses specifically on the belief in racial superiority; racism is the broader, international term for prejudice, discrimination, and systems based on racial hierarchy.