racist

The word “racist” means a person who believes in or practises racism. In plain terms, describes a person, comment, or action driven by racism.

“Racist” is pronounced RAY-sihst (/ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/ in IPA).

Here is “racist” used in a sentence: “He was exposed as a racist after the leaked messages surfaced.”

Words with a similar meaning to “racist” include rayciss and bigoted.

Depending on how it is used, “racist” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “racist” dates back to around 1932 and comes from French. First recorded as a noun in 1932 and as an adjective in 1938, built from 'racism' plus the agent suffix '-ist,' paralleling the earlier French raciste.

“Racist” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Racist” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a person who believes in or practises racism.

Racism is the belief or practice that one race is superior to another, or a system that treats people unequally by race. A racist is a person who holds that belief or acts on it. In short, racism is the idea or behaviour, while a racist is the individual behind it.

It can be both. As a noun it names a person, as in he is a racist. As an adjective it describes something driven by racism, as in a racist remark or racist policy. The meaning stays the same; only the grammatical role changes with how the word is used.

Yes. Racist is a serious and heavily negative term, and calling someone a racist is a grave accusation rather than a neutral description. Because it carries such weight, it is used carefully in fair discussion, usually to condemn attitudes or actions that judge or mistreat people on the basis of race.

A common opposite is anti-racist, meaning a person who actively opposes racism and works against it. More broadly, someone described as fair-minded, tolerant, or egalitarian treats people equally regardless of race. Where a racist judges by race, these terms describe an active commitment to equality and respect.