nonwhite

[ non-wahyt, -hwahyt ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a person or people who are not members of the sociocultural classification marked by slight pigmentation of the skin and associated with European descent:

   Both immigration and births contributed to nonwhite population growth in the most recent census.

noun

1. a person who is not a member of the sociocultural classification marked by slight pigmentation of the skin and associated with European descent; a person of color.

Sensitive Note

Use of the word nonwhite to describe a population group has sometimes been criticized for implying in its very structure that “white” is the norm and anything else is a deviation from that norm. A more affirmative descriptive term, like person(s) of color, is often appropriate, as are other specific ethnic, cultural, or national designations. However, nonwhite is still in common use, especially in contexts where the focus is on statistical analyses of populations of European ancestry as distinguished from other populations. It is generally more acceptable as an adjective (strategies to get nonwhite voters to the polls) than as a noun (a candidate favored by nonwhites; the candidate who is a nonwhite ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonwhite¹

First recorded in 1920–25; non- + white

Example Sentences

As historians Ruth Wallis Herndon and John E. Murray have shown, children’s apprenticeship experiences correlated closely with their families’ affluence: poorer and nonwhite children—children like Jacob, Hetty, and John Henry—were often used as mere menials and servants.

From Slate

With time, “immigrant” would become a euphemism for “nonwhite.”

From Salon

Despite some grumbles from individual reporters, such statements made clear that internal momentum was on the Tech Guild’s side, for its core demands of just-cause protections, remote-work flexibility, and fixes to the inequitable pay structures that undercompensated the union’s nonmale, nonwhite members.

From Slate

Moreover, Trump and the other fascists and racial authoritarians believe that the United States is a “garbage can” because of nonwhite immigrants like Harris’ parents.

From Salon

One of the Big Questions that polling has raised this year—particularly New York Times/Siena polling—is whether Trump has made large, “realignment”-level gains with nonwhite voters, particularly younger men who didn’t complete college.

From Slate