hate speech

American  

[heyt speech] / ˈheɪt ˌspitʃ /

noun

1. speech, writing, or nonverbal communication that attacks, threatens, or insults a person or group on the basis of national origin, ethnicity, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

   The racist graffiti was condemned as hate speech.

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hate speech British  

noun

1. speech disparaging a racial, sexual, or ethnic group or a member of such a group

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Etymology

Origin of hate speech

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

In addition, aggressive behavior, verbal and physical intimidation and hate speech were banned.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

The system automatically flags any inputs that aren’t contextually appropriate or contain banned words, hate speech or violence, said Gray Bright, Sixth Wall’s chief creative officer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Saturday's rival demonstrations follow a spate of violent attacks targeting London's Jewish community, with some blaming instances of hate speech at pro-Palestinian marches for helping to fuel antisemitism.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

Specialist officers are also primed to take swift decisions to arrest and charge hate speech crimes, which may include arrests for chants referring to "intifada" at the pro-Palestinian march.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

“I’ll be pressuring them to have some kind of schoolwide discussion on diversity and the dangers of hate speech like this.”

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh