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white privilege

American  
[wahyt priv-uh-lij, priv-lij, hwahyt] / ˈwaɪt ˈprɪv ə lɪdʒ, ˈprɪv lɪdʒ, ˈʰwaɪt /

noun

  1. the unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that members of the dominant white racial group have and members of nonwhite groups do not, separate from but compounding with wealth, income, class, education, and other demographic factors that form individual identities.

    One aspect of white privilege is never thinking about your race, because most things in society are designed with whiteness as the normal default.


Etymology

Origin of white privilege

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The new work is a subtle and intimate excavation of racism, white privilege and gender freedom that confronts offensive stereotypes that still haunt beloved ballets like “The Nutcracker.”

From New York Times Nov. 11, 2022

In it, Northam acknowledges specific instances in which he thinks white privilege boosted his career.

From Seattle Times Aug. 11, 2022

Many aspects of the story deal directly and indirectly with white privilege and class differences.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 15, 2022

If anyone had "white privilege", it was surely me, a descendant of Caribbean slave owners.

From BBC May 10, 2022

Tim Wise is an author, activist and leading expert on white privilege and racism.

From Salon Apr. 9, 2022

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