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nigga

[nig-uh]
noun Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.
  1. a term used to refer to or address a black person.
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Origin of nigga

alteration of nigger, based on pronunciation

Usage alert

Nigga is used mainly among African Americans, but also among other minorities and ethnicities, in a neutral or familiar way and as a friendly term of address. It is also common in rap music. However, nigga is taken to be extremely offensive when used by outsiders. Many people consider this word to be equally as offensive as nigger. The words nigger and nigga are pronounced alike in certain dialects, and so it has been claimed that they are one and the same word.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nigga

Historical Examples

  • Nigga's so ig'nant 'n' pig headed they'd sho spile it all 'f we tried to have them do any scratching.

    The Forged Note

    Oscar Micheaux

  • Go on, Nigga', dat ain't shoe-blacknin', dat's ma massage cream!

    Toaster's Handbook

    Peggy Edmund and Harold W. Williams, compilers

  • I know he told me he come to a place and they had a big sign that said, 'Nigga, don't let the sun go down on you here.'

Word Origin and History for nigga

n.

1925, also niggah, representing southern U.S. pronunciation of nigger (q.v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper