bigotry
Americannoun
-
bigotries
plural
-
stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.
- Synonyms:
- discrimination, bias, narrow-mindedness
-
the actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bigotry
First recorded in 1665–75; bigot + -ry, formation parallel to French bigoterie
Explanation
If a person is intolerant of other ideas, races, or religions, we call that person a bigot. The intolerance expressed by that bigot is called bigotry. Bigotry is ugly. There are different types of bigotry — like religious bigotry or racist bigotry. Although bigotry can mean any form of intolerance or prejudice, when the word is used alone, it is most often understood to mean racial bigotry. The bigotry behind Jim Crow laws that separated races in the 1950s seems unbelievable to most modern teenagers.
Vocabulary lists containing bigotry
March: Book One
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary Heard at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Friday Night Lights
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I believe that no, we’re not going to let the ends justify the means, even if the ends may be laudable, like exposing bigotry, because it leads us down a very slippery slope.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
But Rickey, a devout Methodist, also despised bigotry, which he considered un-Christian.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
He knew the situation was delicate and complicated, and he worked directly with young activists on how to prevent their views on this political issue from feeding bigotry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“All In the Family” signposted its main character’s irascible bigotry and generation-gap grievances in the first minute by having its main character sing wistfully of a time when “Guys like me we had it made.”
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
Sometimes the responsibility felt overwhelming, but I couldn’t stop using my voice to fight bigotry.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
As generations of Jews around the world know better than anyone, nationalism often breeds antisemitism and other bigotries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
Those last two groups are notable because Cohn was himself both Jewish and gay, yet evinced an odd inability to see how the bigotries he cultivated against others like him reflected on himself.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2024
“There is a greater resilience with respect to these kinds of bigotries because of both the destruction of the internet and the the down-sloping direction of civic discourse,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
She had an unceasing faith in humankind’s ability to better itself, to shed irrational bigotries, to come together in the pursuit of the greater good.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2020
It too often found its guarantee for faithfulness in jealous suspicions, and in fierce bigotries, and at length it presented all the characteristics of an exhausted teaching and a spent enthusiasm.
From The Oxford Movement Twelve Years, 1833-1845 by R. W. (Richard William) Church
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
