commie

¹ American  

[kom-ee] / ˈkɒm i /

Or commy

noun

(often initial capital letter)

plural

commies

1. communist.

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commie ² American  

[kom-ee] / ˈkɒm i /

noun

1. a playing marble, especially one not used as a shooter.

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commie British  

/ ˈkɒmɪ /

noun

1. short for communist

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Sensitive Note

The shortened and informal term commie has derogatory connotations, whereas the full form communist is merely descriptive. Both terms refer primarily to an advocate of communism, but have been more widely applied to an enemy, a foreigner, or a person regarded as subversive.

Etymology

Origin of commie¹

First recorded in 1935–40; comm(unist) + -ie

Origin of commie²

1920–25; comm(on marble) + -ie

Explanation

Commie is derogatory slang for communist. You shouldn't call someone a commie unless you want to start a fight. A commie is a communist, a person who favors the eventual creation of a classless society in which goods are equally shared between all citizens. This word was most common in the 1950s, during the strongly anti-communist era of the US. Being called a commie back then might result in losing a job or being ostracized by friends. Today, you're much less likely to hear the word commie, which has the same root as communism, the French communisme, from the Old French comun, "common, free, open, or public."

Example Sentences

In the comic books, the Red Guardian was the national hero of the Soviet Union, a kind of commie Captain America.

From Slate • Jul. 8, 2021

He used to call me his amigo Yankee, and I always called him my amigo commie.

From National Geographic • Nov. 1, 2015

Or do you think Orwell was a commie?

From Economist • Nov. 19, 2013

As he argued that its system of revenue sharing "put all of it in a big commie pot and split it 32 ways " was not only instructive but entertaining as well.

From The Guardian • Feb. 6, 2011

Another former commie is the Black Widow, who debuted as a Soviet agent in 1964, but later defected to the Western intelligence/black ops agency S.H.I.E.L.D.

From Seattle Times • May 4, 2010