brownface
[ broun-feys ]
/ ˈbraʊnˌfeɪs /
Save This Word!
noun
makeup used to darken one’s face and other exposed skin to imitate the skin tone of an ethnic or racial group, as Hispanic, South Asian, or Middle Eastern: People were offended when he arrived at the Cinco de Mayo party wearing brownface.
imitation of a minority group member’s appearance, speech, traditional dress, etc., by a person who is not a member of that group: White voice-over actors have recently come under fire for performing brownface with stereotypical Indian or Mexican accents.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Compare blackface (def. 1), yellowface.
Words nearby brownface
brown dwarf, Browne, brown earth, browned-off, brown-eyed Susan, brownface, brown fat, brownfield, brown goods, brown hackle, brown heart
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021