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Synonyms

lily-white

American  
[lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt, lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt] / ˈlɪl iˈʰwaɪt, -ˈwaɪt, ˈlɪl iˌʰwaɪt, -ˌwaɪt /

adjective

  1. white as a lily.

    soft lily-white skin.

  2. pure; untouched by corruption or imperfection; above reproach.

    He tries to pass himself off as some sort of lily-white saint, but he's not.

  3. designating or pertaining to any faction, organization, or group opposing the inclusion of Black people, especially in political or social life.

    Synonyms:
    unintegrated, discriminatory, segregated

noun

  1. a member of a lily-white organization, especially a member of a former faction of the Republican Party in the South opposed to the inclusion of African Americans in the party or in political life in general.

lily-white British  

adjective

  1. of a pure white

    lily-white skin

  2. informal pure; irreproachable

  3. informal

    1. discriminating against Black people

      a lily-white club

    2. racially segregated

"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

Etymology

Origin of lily-white

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English lylie-whyt

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.

Lily white and pretty winking, Solemn vows, but sorry thinking.

From Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles Phillis - Licia by Crow, Martha Foote

He looked and saw Lily, white as a flower.

From Tongues of Conscience by Hichens, Robert Smythe

He brought a Lily white, That bowed its fragrant head And blushed a rosy red Before her fairer light.

From Child Verse Poems Grave & Gay by Tabb, John B.

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn, The humble sheep a threat’ning horn: While the Lily white shall in love delight, Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

From Songs of Innocence and Experience by Blake, William

Feigned acceptance when I askèd, Lovely words with cunning maskèd, Holy vows, but heart unholy; Wretched man, my trust was folly; Lily white, and pretty winking, Solemn vows but sorry thinking.

From Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age by Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.