N-word

American  

[en-wurd] / ˈɛnˌwɜrd /

Also n word or n-word

noun

1. a euphemism for the word nigger .

   His use of the highly offensive N-word during a televised broadcast caused outrage.

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n-word British  

noun

1. offensive (sometimes capital) a euphemistic way of referring to the word nigger

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Usage

See nigger.

Etymology

Origin of N-word

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

They did not repeat the N-word while discussing the book in their classroom, she said.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2024

Efforts originating from the left, Meehan told me, often involve protests against white authors using the N-word.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2024

The discourse around hip hop often harps on Black artists who use the "N-word", stokes racialized resentment of rappers for "driving in Mercedes-Benzs," and hyperventilates over lyrics that celebrate sexual freedom.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2022

In 1963, Interior Secretary Stuart Udall ordered the removal from federal maps all places with names that include the N-word.

From Washington Times • Jul. 27, 2021

In a twist worthy of Mark Twain himself, a St. John’s University professor has been fired for reading a passage containing the N-word from Twain’s anti-slavery novel "Pudd’nhead Wilson" in her "Literature of Satire" class.

From Fox News • May 15, 2021