coolie
Americannoun
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coolies
plural
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an unskilled laborer, especially formerly in China and India.
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an unskilled laborer employed cheaply, especially one brought from Asia.
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a contemptuous term used to refer to an Asian, especially an Indian living in South Africa.
adjective
noun
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a cheaply hired unskilled Oriental labourer
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derogatory an Indian living in South Africa
Sensitive Note
Both meanings of “unskilled Asian laborer” are found almost exclusively in historical contexts, suggesting imperialistic exploitation of these workers. But coolie is still current as an insulting term used to refer to a person of Asian descent, especially in South Africa.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coolie
First recorded in 1545–55; from Urdu kūlī, from Tamil kūli “hire, hireling”
Vocabulary lists containing coolie
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.
See Examples For:
Madonna corset dress with a coolie hard hat.
From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2011
Giridharadas introduces us to fascinating characters: The shoeless son of a coolie who transforms himself into a local Dale Carnegie, teaching others how to reinvent themselves.
From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2011
Apparently he is of peasant origin and has no formal education; in his younger years he worked as a coolie on the railroad in his native Quang Ngai province, which is in central Viet Nam.
From Time Magazine Archive
One new trend sure to appear in the U.S.: shorter coats in various forms, from Yves St. Laurent's Chinese padded coolie coat to Lanvin's not quite full-length duffel coat and Givenchy's ponchos and shawls.
From Time Magazine Archive
He wears the clothes of a common man, and carries the sword of a coolie, but yet his words are the words of one used to command.
From Shan Folk Lore Stories from the Hill and Water Country by William C. Griggs
The rivalry extends to online merchandise stores, where you can buy an America250 foam roller hat for $35.99, or a set of Freedom 250 coolies for $18, among other gear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
I would like to make the savory pecan coolies, but I am quite confused about the amount of flour listed.
From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2016
Behind them, in the snow, trailed 10,000 coolies, 7,000 mules, 4,000 yaks and 6 camels.
From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2010
Natal landowners also began importing Indian "coolies" to work their languishing sugar plantations.
From Time Magazine Archive
Most ricksha coolies didn’t live to be thirty, my father said.
From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
