erasure

[ih-rey-sher]

noun

1. an act or instance of erasing.

2. a place where something has been erased; a spot or mark left after erasing.

   You can't sign a contract with so many erasures in it.

3. 1. the exclusion of a minority group or group member from the historical record, or from the discussion of current events: black victim erasure in the crime-bill debate.

      erasure of female scientists from textbooks;

      black victim erasure in the crime-bill debate.

   2. the replacement or whitewashing of a minority character or group with a member or members of the dominant cultural group in fictional representations of historical events.

      minority erasure in film.

   3. the denial of an individual’s or group’s minority identity, or the misidentification of a minority group member: cultural erasure and white identity among Chicanos.

      trans-erasure issues in the LGBT community;

      cultural erasure and white identity among Chicanos.

erasure

/ ɪˈreɪʒə /

noun

1. the act or an instance of erasing

2. the place or mark, as on a piece of paper, where something has been erased

Other Word Forms

• nonerasure noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of erasure¹

First recorded in 1725–35; erase + -ure

Example Sentences

Prince, who has been working with Haiti to target gangs with drones, lamented the “erasure of the Monroe Doctrine” in a podcast earlier this year, arguing “what happens in the Western Hemisphere is America’s business.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Tulsa is a nexus for conversations about history erasure and racial tension, both of which feature heavily in the show’s emerging subplots.

Read more on Salon

This erasure of parental influence continued throughout the oral arguments.

Read more on Salon

Still, the point is made: Truth is a malleable thing, prone to erasure and distortion, yet we need it more than ever.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles artist Ken Gonzales-Day has harnessed the power of artistic erasure in a related — if very different — way.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deletion