Since Abo is simply a shortened form of Aborigine or Aboriginal, one could easily think that it is as neutral and inoffensive a term as Aussie is for an Australian. However, Abo is as highly offensive to Australian Aboriginal people as nigger is to African Americans in the United States.
This once quite common word is now completely unacceptable
First recorded in 1905–10; by shortening; see -o
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Hajj has been the dream of a lifetime for me," Ahmed Abo Seta, 47, told AFP.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Adam and Ola Abo Sheriah say they make around 150 calls a day to check on siblings, cousins and other relatives trapped in Gaza.Credit...
From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2024
So when her daughter, Julie Abo, became grown, it came as a revelation that her mother had kept her despair hidden behind the stories of Minidoka.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2023
"We have nowhere to go, we are not leaving even if they want to strike our homes," Abo Jameel says.
From BBC • Oct. 16, 2023
From the Abosu village and its abominations I turned sharp to the north-west, and ascended the steep western flank of Abo Yáo, whose highest point is 312 feet above sea-level.
From To The Gold Coast for Gold, Vol. II A Personal Narrative by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
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.
