person of color

American  

[pur-suhn uhv kuhl-er] / ˈpɜr sən əv ˈkʌl ər /

noun

plural

people of color, persons of color

1. a person who is not white.

   The corporation was especially eager to recruit women and people of color.

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person of color Idioms  

1. A nonwhite person, such as someone of African or Native American descent. For example, They have made a genuine effort to promote persons of color to executive positions. This seemingly modern euphemism actually dates from the late 1700s and was revived in the late 1900s.

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Sensitive Note

See Black ¹.

Etymology

Origin of person of color

First recorded in 1785–90

Example Sentences

The historic journey took place three years after the Soviet Union sent the first person of color into space, the Cuban Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Glover is a 49-year-old veteran astronaut set to become the first Black person -- and first person of color -- to embark on a lunar voyage.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The National Theatre is among the cultural treasures of the U.K., so it is history-making that the institution is now headed by Indhu Rubasingham, the first woman and person of color in charge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

Joseph I. Castro, the first person of color to lead the California State University system, died Sunday after a battle with colon cancer.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

In 1811, Charles Deslondes, a free person of color from Saint Domingue, led what is sometimes called the largest slave revolt in U.S. history.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson