half-breed

[haf-breed, hahf-]Disparaging and Offensive.

See more synonyms for half-breed on Thesaurus.com

noun

a contemptuous term used to refer to the offspring of parents of different racial origin, especially the offspring of an American Indian and a white person of European descent.

adjective

of or relating to such offspring.

Origin of half-breed

An Americanism dating back to 1750–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for half-breed

combination, hodgepodge, mishmash, hybrid, cross, medley, mutt, blend, conglomeration, mule, amalgam

Examples from the Web for half-breed

Contemporary Examples of half-breed

A few days later, a Half-Breed delegation arrived in Washington, begging for his assistance.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics
Michael Wolraich
July 24, 2014
They shouted and scuffled as the Half-Breed gatekeepers shoved them aside.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics
Michael Wolraich
July 24, 2014

Historical Examples of half-breed

There was a half-breed among them, both whose hearts were black.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
Someone told me they're called 'Jazz Louie and his half-breed bunch.'
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington
The moment Stanley Fyles had disappeared he turned back to the half-breed.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
The half-breed grinned, and displayed a flashing set of teeth.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum
The half-breed did not reply, but crouched and pointed with his hand.
Murder Point
Coningsby Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for half-breed

half-breed

noun

offensive a person whose parents are of different races, esp the offspring of a White person and an American Indian

adjective also: half-bred

of, relating to, or designating offspring of people or animals of different races or breeds

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

Word Origin and History for half-breed

"person of mixed race," 1760; as an adjective by 1762. Half-blooded in this sense is from c.1600.