whitey

or whit·y

[ hwahy-tee, wahy- ]

/ ˈʰwaɪ ti, ˈwaɪ- /

Save This Word!

noun, plural whit·eys.(sometimes initial capital letter)Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used by Black people to refer to a white person or white people collectively.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of whitey

First recorded in 1820–30; white + -ey²

Words nearby whitey

white-winged dove, white-winged scoter, whitewood, white wood aster, white work, whitey, white zinfandel, Whitgift, whither, whithersoever, Whither thou goest, I will go

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whitey in a sentence

His friends were safely known by the Polish versions of Toothy, Hoppy, Conky, Baldy, Whitey, Carrot Top and Chopper.
The Week in Death: Irving Milchberg, the Teenage Gunrunner of the Warsaw Ghetto|The Telegraph|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whitey Bulger, the infamous Boston mobster, disappeared off the face of the earth and managed to stay hidden for 16 years.
First Rule of the Fake Dead Bankers Club: Stay Gone|Daniel Gross|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This decision turned the trial of Whitey Bulger into one of the most lopsided cases in the history of jurisprudence.
Whitey Bulger and the FBI Whitewash|T.J. English|November 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The City That Always Sucks Ray Lemoine and John Liam Policastro, Vocativ Boston and the embarrassing legacy of Whitey Bulger.
The Week’s Best Longreads for August 17, 2013|David Sessions|August 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In later years, Whitey complained of insomnia, violent nightmares, and severe headaches as a result of his months of acid use.
The Defense That Sank Whitey Bulger|T.J. English|August 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Old Whitey, Abe's school master, said to him angrily one day, "Abraham you are better fed than taught!"
Lincolniana|Andrew Adderup
It was very quiet about the house, and old Whitey's neigh as Morris' span of bays came up was the only sound which greeted them.
Family Pride|Mary J. Holmes
Well, we found ol' Whitey's blind had slid down so he could see outen one eye.
The Long Dim Trail|Forrestine C. Hooker
But there was a fight, and I can't say that poor Whitey got off without being badly pecked.
The Nursery, July 1881, Vol. XXX|Various
Ahll jes put up ole Whitey, hes nigh tired out, an Ahll be right back.
The Ocean Wireless Boys and the Lost Liner|Wilbur Lawton

British Dictionary definitions for whitey

whitey

whity

/ (ˈwaɪtɪ) /

noun

mainly US (used contemptuously by Black people) a White man

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