race-baiting
Race-baiting is the incitement of racial hatred, often for political purposes.
Search Results for: systemic racism
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When Did “Fat” Become An Insult?
by Ashley Austrew The word fat holds a complicated place in our society. As an adjective, it joins words like tall, hairy, fluffy, or bright. But, unlike those descriptors, fat isn’t neutral. It’s so often framed as a negative—and used as an insult. However, the body positivity movement, fat activism, and popular books and television shows centered on fat characters are proving that narrative is wearing thin. …
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Why “Complicit” Was Dictionary.com’s 2017 Word Of The Year
As 2017 comes to a close, it’s time for us to reflect on the words that impacted all of us this year—for better or for worse. At Dictionary.com, the Word of the Year serves as a symbol of the year’s most meaningful events and lookup trends. Our 2017 Word of the Year is complicit. Complicit means “choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable …
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Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Columbus Day, And The Language Of Indigenous Identities
Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day are observed on the same day each year (the second Monday in October), but they aren’t simply different names for the same holiday. They’re two separate observances with different origins. Recently, the observance of Columbus Day has increasingly been replaced with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, including on the official calendars of many state governments, schools, businesses, and other organizations. There …
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Examples Of Ableist Language You May Not Realize You’re Using
Ableist language doesn’t only consist of slurs. It comes in many forms, including some so familiar that you may have never stopped to think about their origins or implications. The term ableist language has two definitions in this dictionary, accounting for the different things it can refer to: words and phrases that devalue disabled people by using disability language or historical descriptions of disabilities as …
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Understanding Native American Heritage: The Tribes, Languages, And Culture
November is Native American Heritage Month, a monthlong observance dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and learning about Native American heritage and culture and its diversity. Recognition and preservation of such heritage is particularly important given the history of Indigenous Peoples in North America and their continued efforts to preserve their rich cultures—despite the many acts of genocide, systemic oppression, and erasure they have been targeted with …
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These Are The Words That Defined 2017
As 2017 comes to a close, we reflect on the words that impacted all of us, for better or for worse. American leadership made bold communication choices in 2017: Fury replaced diplomacy. Accusations of collusion distracted from the truth. Covfefe gave us some much needed comic relief in an era of Presidency by Tweet. (No, we’re not adding it to the dictionary…at least not yet.) …
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ACAB
ACAB is a derogatory acronym that stands for All Cops Are Bastards and All Coppers Are Bastards, among other variants. Often used alongside ACAB is its numerical equivalent 1312, based on the letters’ alphabetical position… -
Thin Blue Line
The phrase Thin Blue Line represents the idea that law enforcement (associated with blue uniforms) acts as the barrier (or "line") between the community they protect and lawlessness. In the 2010s, the Thin Blue Line… -
From “5G” to “Zaddy”: Dictionary.com Adds Over 300 New Words And Definitions
by Heather Bonikowski, Lexicographer, and John Kelly, Managing Editor The latest update to Dictionary.com mirrors, as ever, the world around us. It reflects the evolving landscape—and language—of COVID-19, racial reckoning, social struggles, and the unstoppable charge of technological change. But it also reveals our boundless creativity and ingenuity. Slang and pop culture have yielded a host of terms and expressions in this update—and some welcome …
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Basta And Other Trending Words On Dictionary.com
Sometimes, letting out a curse word feels pretty darn good, doesn’t it? How about letting out the word that means “feeling good about cursing?” It’s real, and it skyrocketed to the top of our trending words list for the week of April 6–13, 2018!LalocheziaSearches for lalochezia, which means “emotional relief gained by using indecent or vulgar language,” climbed a whopping 15,930%. The term has been …
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“Dissent” vs. “Protest”: Why Choosing The Right Word Matters
Demonstrations against racism and police brutality have put the words dissent and protest at the center of our vocabulary this year. Dictionary.com has seen a surge of interest in these words, which speak to their relevance to our current times. The death of George Floyd—a Black man who was killed after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes—has inspired worldwide protests that continue …
