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

Glover was the first person of color to fly around the Moon, Koch was the first woman, and Canadian Hansen the first non-American.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

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

But every dancer in our film was a person of color, a Latin dancer, people from the Black community, and they are also at the top of their game on Broadway.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

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

In 1962, when I had attended the mostly white San Francisco State University for two years, I found myself living among an enclave of students where I was the only person of color.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals