noun

racism

RAY-siz-uhm/ˈreɪsɪzəm/

Prejudice or unfair treatment based on race.

The gatekeeper's racism admits the white applicant while blocking the equally qualified Black applicant.

A gatekeeper welcomes a white applicant through a doorway while blocking an equally professionally dressed Black applicant holding an identical plain application folder; the excluded woman stands with dignity, unfair treatment unmistakable, no slurs or hate symbols.

Etymology

racFrenchlineage, people of common descent

Race, referring to common descent, combines with -ism to name a doctrine of racial supremacy. The term broadened to cover race-based prejudice and discriminatory social practices.

In context

The Oxford Review0:09

dismantle systemic racism prejudice and discrimination in all its guises

Anti Racist Activism

More examples

She speaks out against racism at work.
The report exposes racism in housing decisions.
Racism can shape assumptions about people we have never met.

Forms

racism

racist noun — A person who holds racially prejudiced beliefs.

Similar words

prejudice: Broader term for unfair judgments, not limited to race.
discrimination: Emphasizes unequal treatment rather than beliefs or attitudes alone.