nigger

[ nig-er ]

/ ˈnɪg ər /

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usage alert about nigger

The term nigger is now probably the most offensive word in English. Its degree of offensiveness has increased markedly in recent years, although it has been used in a derogatory manner since at least the Revolutionary War. The senses labeled Extremely Disparaging and Offensive represent meanings that are deeply insulting and are used when the speaker deliberately wishes to cause great offense. It is so profoundly offensive that a euphemism has developed for those occasions when the word itself must be discussed, as in court or in a newspaper editorial: “the N-word .”

noun

Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.
a contemptuous term used to refer to a member of any dark-skinned people.

Origin of nigger

First recorded in 1640–50; from French nègre “a Black person,” from Spanish negro “black”; see origin at Negro¹

Words nearby nigger

Niger-Kordofanian, Niger seed, nigga, niggard, niggardly, nigger, nigger heaven, niggle, niggling, nigh, night

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

How to use nigger in a sentence

Lipsyte was curious—the nice part about tabula rasa is you see everyone anew—and had co-written Dick Gregory's Nigger.
On the Peninsula|Bryan Curtis|April 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The black people had to sit outside the stadium on a red, dirt hill called 'Nigger Hill.'
'Momma's Boys' and Other TV Highlights|Nicole Ankowski|December 14, 2008|DAILY BEAST
"Oh, I don't think he meant to be ill-mannered," interposed Betty mildly, as she reached Nigger and he whinnied a welcome.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope
Nigger, as his name implied, was a magnificent coal-black animal without a speck of white upon him anywhere.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope

Nigger wigs are made of curly black horsehair fastened on to a black skull-cap.
The Peace Egg and Other tales|Juliana Horatia Ewing
Nigger Jim and Stillwater Willie—in what back slough of vicissitude do they languish to-day?
The Trail of '98|Robert W. Service
My father asked me where my eyebrows were, and I said, 'I reckon part of them are by the Nigger church.'
Back at School with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed

British Dictionary definitions for nigger

nigger

/ (ˈnɪɡə) /

noun offensive, taboo

an offensive term for a Black person
(as modifier)nigger minstrels

an offensive term for a member of any dark-skinned race

nigger in the woodpile old-fashioned, offensive a hidden snag or hindrance

Word Origin for nigger

C18: from C16 dialect neeger, from French nègre, from Spanish Negro 1

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