high yellow

American  

Also high yaller

noun

Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a term used to refer to a light-skinned Black person.

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Sensitive Note

This term implies that the person has a high proportion of white ancestry and looks more like a white person than a Black person. The term was most commonly used in the American South in the late 19th century and early 20th century, though it is still sometimes used today by both white people and Black people. See also yellow.

Other Word Forms

• high-yellow adjective

Etymology

Origin of high yellow

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Harry’s own complexion had yellow undertones — he was High Yellow, as he learned as a kid in Harlem — and this made him less threatening to whites.

From Los Angeles Times

“Monica was fun to do, because she’s this high yellow, as we would say, Black woman,” Brandon-Croft said, referring to the character’s lighter complexion.

From New York Times

Rabbitt also tried his hand at singing a similar kind of garage rock ’n’ roll, releasing the stomping singles “Wishy-Washy Woman” and “Pushover” in 1965; he performed the latter in the Larry Buchanan-directed exploitation film “High Yellow.”

From Los Angeles Times

They live with her extended family in Gulfport, Miss. Trethewey describes her “high yellow” relatives in “elegant lace-up shoes . . . and creased trousers,” living on the same patch of land for generations.

From Washington Post

Shoppers and sellers in the Minyi neighborhood on the city’s southwest side had to do their business over high yellow barriers, as access to the community is still controlled.

From Washington Times