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  • white supremacy
    white supremacy
    noun
    the belief, theory, or doctrine that white people are inherently superior to people from all other racial and ethnic groups, especially Black people, and are therefore rightfully the dominant group in any society.
  • White supremacy
    White supremacy
    noun
    the theory or belief that White people are innately superior to people of other races

white supremacy

American  
[hwahyt suh-prem-uh-see, wahyt] / ˈhwaɪt səˈprɛm ə si, ˈwaɪt /

noun

  1. the belief, theory, or doctrine that white people are inherently superior to people from all other racial and ethnic groups, especially Black people, and are therefore rightfully the dominant group in any society.


White supremacy British  

noun

  1. the theory or belief that White people are innately superior to people of other races

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of white supremacy

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

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:

She testified before Congress in 2020 on white supremacy in the military.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 12, 2026

"For 55 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has stood as a beacon of hope, fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice," Fair said in a video message.

From Barron's Apr. 21, 2026

When I’m talking about, like, anti-Blackness, white supremacy, I’m not talking to Black people because Black people know it.

From Slate Mar. 25, 2026

The biography is strengthened by Boggs’ discovery of previously unpublished writings in Baldwin’s papers, shaping a book that explores how Baldwin “forced readers to confront the connections between white supremacy, masculinity, and sexuality.”

From Los Angeles Times May 14, 2025

The notion of white supremacy rationalized the enslavement of Africans, even as whites endeavored to form a new nation based on the ideals of equality, liberty, and justice for all.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

White supremacy and white racism in their many forms are inherently violent, anti-human and evil.

From Salon May 9, 2023

She’s folded it into the curriculum of her class on White supremacy, which is regularly oversubscribed, colleagues say, with students eager to hear her stories.

From Washington Post Dec. 7, 2022

Relatives of the victims have since called on Congress to address White supremacy and gun violence through legislation.

From Washington Times Nov. 28, 2022

"White supremacy will not have the last word," he said.

From BBC May 17, 2022

One of the founders of the NAACP, a brilliant writer and scholar, and the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard, Du Bois openly rejected assumptions of White supremacy.

From Textbooks Dec. 30, 2014

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