Uncle Tom

American  

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.

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Uncle Tom British  

noun

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

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Usage

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 ]

Other Word Forms

• Uncle Tomish adjective
• Uncle Tomism noun

Etymology

Origin of Uncle Tom

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

Example Sentences

The law leads to angry protests and inspires Harriet Beecher Stowe to write a serialized novel that will become Uncle Tom's Cabin.

From Literature

During the credits, Caviezel addresses the audience, saying the filmmakers hope “Sound of Freedom” will be “the ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ of 21st century slavery.”

From New York Times

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was based on her years in Cincinnati, on the banks of the river over whose ice floe Stowe’s fictional Eliza fled.

From Washington Post

The New-York Tribune understood its abolitionist message, writing that it was “a sort of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ of pictures” and presented “a sad picture of Southern Slavery.”

From Washington Post

The Burns case provided another sensational story in a society already reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s best-selling novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” which was published in 1852.

From New York Times