white privilege

American  

[wahyt priv-uh-lij, priv-lij, hwahyt] / ˈwaɪt ˈprɪv ə lɪdʒ, ˈprɪv lɪdʒ, ˈʰwaɪt /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of white privilege

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Edelman tries to explain that even though he’s Jewish, he benefits quite regularly from white privilege.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2023

The new work is a subtle and intimate excavation of racism, white privilege and gender freedom that confronts offensive stereotypes that still haunt beloved ballets like “The Nutcracker.”

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2022

Like white students from rural Idaho who are exposed for the first time to concepts like white privilege and systemic racism, some students of color, especially from other states, endure culture shock on campus.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2022

If anyone had "white privilege", it was surely me, a descendant of Caribbean slave owners.

From BBC • May 10, 2022

Topics included racial trauma, microaggressions, white privilege and systemic racism, and Zaman suggested readings like “Blended” by Sharon M. Draper.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2022