nigga

[ nig-uh ]

/ ˈnɪg ə /

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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.

noun Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.

a term used to refer to or address a black person.

Nearby words

niger-congo, niger-kordofanian, nigeria, nigerian, nigerien, nigga, niggard, niggardly, nigger, nigger heaven, nigger of the narcissus, the

Origin of nigga

alteration of nigger, based on pronunciation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nigga

Go on, Nigga', dat ain't shoe-blacknin', dat's ma massage cream!
Toaster's Handbook|Peggy Edmund and Harold W. Williams, compilers

Word Origin and History for nigga

nigga

n.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper