Uncle Tom

noun

Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a Black person, especially a man, considered by other Black people to be subservient to or to curry favor with white people.

2. a person who exhibits overly deferential behavior.

Uncle Tom

noun

1. informal,  a Black person whose behaviour towards White people is regarded as obsequious and servile

Other Word Forms

• Uncle Tomism noun
• Uncle Tomish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Uncle Tom¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1920–25; so called after the leading character in Uncle Tom's Cabin

Word History and Origins

Origin of Uncle Tom¹

C20: after the slave who is the main character of H.B. Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

Example Sentences

Over the years, Ali tried to reverse the damage of all the Uncle Tom and Ugly Gorilla insults.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"As I passed someone," Evans told the BBC, "I heard someone say: 'Uncle Tom'" - a slur used to disparage a black person considered servile towards white people.

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Later, she added, “Like, what’s Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter.”

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The actor’s performance and commentary led to comparisons to his Uncle Tom role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” where he played a loyal house slave named Stephen.

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“Aunt Jemima conveys the same negative connotation as Uncle Tom, simply because of her looks,” she told The New York Times in a 1990 interview.

Read more on Seattle Times

When To Use

What does Uncle Tom mean?

Content warning: this article includes content dealing with slavery and racism.Uncle Tom is a fictional character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. His name has become a highly offensive nickname some Black people use to accuse other Black people of subservient to white people and culture.How is Uncle Tom pronounced?[ uhng-kuhl tom ]