What does whitey mean?
Whitey is an informal noun with two principal meanings. Its dominant and most sensitive sense is a derogatory term for a white person, especially one perceived as belonging to the dominant racial group. Outside quotation, historical explanation, or deliberate reclamation, it can reinforce racial hierarchy and is commonly regarded as a racial slur. The word also has a non-offensive slang meaning for a cannabis cigarette. Whitey is formed from white with the familiar suffix -y and is recorded in several plural forms, including whiteys and, in some dictionaries, whiteies. Its racial use is especially associated with North American English, although the term occurs elsewhere in English. Because whitey can also sound like an affectionate nickname when used by members of the group it names, context and speaker intent are crucial. In careful writing, a neutral expression such as white person is normally preferable.
nounAn informal, usually derogatory term for a white person. In slang, it can also mean a cannabis cigarette.
- An informal, usually derogatory term for a white person.
- A slang term for a cannabis cigarette.
- A nickname for a person with a white complexion, sometimes used teasingly rather than abusively.
"The angry customer called the clerk "whitey," turning the interaction immediately racist."
"The oral-history transcript records him using "whitey" while recalling the racial slurs he heard as a child."
"They rolled a whitey and passed it around the circle."
The regular plural is whiteys, though whiteies is also recorded. Plural usage is uncommon in neutral prose because the word is often avoided outside explicitly derogatory or historical contexts.
"The transcript refers to several whiteys, preserving the speaker's derogatory terminology."
Whitey can mean a white person or a cannabis cigarette—an ambiguity that instantly changes the word's social temperature.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whitey
Whitey is an English formation from white plus the familiar suffix -y, a pattern that can produce nicknames and disparaging labels. The underlying adjective white descends from Old English hwīt and has close cognates such as Dutch wit and German weiß; the English noun whit preserves a related word meaning a small amount. The racial sense developed within the history of racialized language, while the separate sense for a cannabis cigarette is later slang whose precise origin is uncertain.
How whitey is actually used
The racial sense is generally offensive and should normally appear only in quotation, historical discussion, or explicitly reclaimed use. The cannabis-cigarette sense is non-offensive but informal and now somewhat dated.
Easily confused with whitey
White is primarily an adjective naming a color, whereas whitey can be a derogatory name for a person or a slang term for a cannabis cigarette.