hate speech

American  

[heyt speech] / ˈheɪt ˌspitʃ /

noun

1. speech, writing, or nonverbal communication that attacks, threatens, or insults a person or group on the basis of national origin, ethnicity, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

   The racist graffiti was condemned as hate speech.

---

hate speech British  

noun

1. speech disparaging a racial, sexual, or ethnic group or a member of such a group

---

Etymology

Origin of hate speech

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hate speech

"These interests converge around xenophobic civil unrest," co-founder Kyle Findlay said at a Johannesburg event against hate speech this week.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

In addition, aggressive behavior, verbal and physical intimidation and hate speech were banned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

The system automatically flags any inputs that aren’t contextually appropriate or contain banned words, hate speech or violence, said Gray Bright, Sixth Wall’s chief creative officer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

That includes for the first time making organisers legally responsible for ensuring invited speakers do not break hate speech laws.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

“I’ll be pressuring them to have some kind of schoolwide discussion on diversity and the dangers of hate speech like this.”

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh