hyperdescent

[ hahy-per-di-sent ]

noun

the classifying or identifying of a biracial or multiracial individual as a member of the higher or highest socially ranking racial group from which that person has ancestry.

Origin of hyperdescent

¹

First recorded in 2005–10; hyper- + descent

Words Nearby hyperdescent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hyperdescent in a sentence

In contrast, many parts of Latin America, like Brazil or Mexico, assign race by the opposite process, hyperdescent.
Why Obama Isn't America's First Black President | Patricia J. Williams | November 8, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST

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