white privilege

[ wahyt priv-uh-lij, priv-lij, hwahyt ]

noun

1. the unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that members of the dominant white racial group have and members of nonwhite groups do not, separate from but compounding with wealth, income, class, education, and other demographic factors that form individual identities:

   One aspect of white privilege is never thinking about your race, because most things in society are designed with whiteness as the normal default.

Word History and Origins

Origin of white privilege¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

This pessimism—for all the discussion on campuses about “white privilege”—is even more deeply seated among young whites.

From The Daily Beast

White privilege is a set of advantages and immunities enjoyed by white people that are not common to people of other races.

From The Daily Beast

Such was the depth of my white privilege that it had not occurred to me that my makeup was problematic.

From The Daily Beast

I believed that white privilege was a thing and I thought of myself as down with the struggle.

From The Daily Beast

Talking Points does not—does not—believe in white privilege.

From The Daily Beast