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Synonyms

lily-white

American  
[lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt, lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt] / ˈlɪl iˈʰwaɪt, -ˈwaɪt, ˈlɪl iˌʰwaɪt, -ˌwaɪt /

adjective

  1. white as a lily.

    soft lily-white skin.

  2. pure; untouched by corruption or imperfection; above reproach.

    He tries to pass himself off as some sort of lily-white saint, but he's not.

  3. designating or pertaining to any faction, organization, or group opposing the inclusion of Black people, especially in political or social life.

    Synonyms:
    unintegrated, discriminatory, segregated

noun

  1. a member of a lily-white organization, especially a member of a former faction of the Republican Party in the South opposed to the inclusion of African Americans in the party or in political life in general.

lily-white British  

adjective

  1. of a pure white

    lily-white skin

  2. informal pure; irreproachable

  3. informal

    1. discriminating against Black people

      a lily-white club

    2. racially segregated

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lily-white

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English lylie-whyt

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.

Feigned acceptance when I askèd, Lovely words with cunning maskèd, Holy vows, but heart unholy; Wretched man, my trust was folly; Lily white, and pretty winking, Solemn vows but sorry thinking.

From Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age by Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry)

He looked and saw Lily, white as a flower.

From Tongues of Conscience by Hichens, Robert Smythe

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn, The humble sheep a threat’ning horn: While the Lily white shall in love delight, Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

From Songs of Innocence and Experience by Blake, William

Lily white and pretty winking, Solemn vows, but sorry thinking.

From Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles Phillis - Licia by Crow, Martha Foote

He brought a Lily white, That bowed its fragrant head And blushed a rosy red Before her fairer light.

From Child Verse Poems Grave & Gay by Tabb, John B.

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.