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systemic racism

American  
[si-stem-ik rey-siz-uhm] / sɪˈstɛm ɪk ˈreɪ sɪz əm /

noun

  1. racism.


Etymology

Origin of systemic racism

First recorded in 1970–75

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 scholars we want to honor include the researcher who finds that systemic racism is the primary driver of a given disparity and is dismissed by colleagues who don’t want to hear it.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 7, 2026

"Now we need to go beyond the symbolic," he said, urging a "real reparations programme", including for example more funds for educational projects to transmit history and help battle systemic racism.

From Barron's May 28, 2026

Floyd's death ignited a nationwide reckoning with systemic racism, prompting widespread calls to remove Confederate monuments.

From BBC Oct. 28, 2025

For all that it deals with systemic racism and economic precarity, “The Payback” is a terrifically fun book that made me laugh out loud at least once every chapter.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 10, 2025

He starts by talking about his experience growing up Black in Mississippi and moves on to talk about systemic racism and how we don’t even realize how embedded it is in our world.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

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