supremacist
Americannoun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- supremacism noun
Etymology
Origin of supremacist
First recorded in 1945–50; supremac(y) + -ist
Explanation
A supremacist is someone who believes that one race, religion, ethnicity, or other group is superior to all others. In the 1960s, civil rights activists combatted the ideas and policies of white supremacists. The word supremacist first appeared in the mid-20th century in the sense of "white supremacist," and that is still the most common use of the word. Supremacist comes from the word supremacy, "the condition of being superior to all others," and ultimately from the Latin word supremus, "highest." Supremacists believe they are the best, or highest, typically because of their race or ethnicity.
Vocabulary lists containing supremacist
Undercover Latina
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Speeches 2A
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White Lies
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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.
La Liga president Javier Tebas, who has been openly at odds with Perez for several years, criticised the "messianic, sectarian, supremacist" tone of the Madrid chief, in a post on X.
From Barron's • Nov. 23, 2025
“The perceived persecution of the Afrikaners, who controlled South Africa’s major institutions until the end of apartheid, circulated as a white supremacist meme for decades,” Slate’s Molly Olmstead explains.
From Slate • May 13, 2025
Estrada praised his team for going after white supremacist gangs, fentanyl dealers, environmental polluters and other miscreants while favoring no party and no ideology.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2025
Richard Mack quickly takes the phone back, and is like, "No, no, no, Randy Weaver is not a white supremacist."
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024
If Pamela is a white supremacist, she’s done a pretty good job hiding it.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
