Negrito

[ ni-gree-toh ]

noun

, plural Ne·gri·tos, Ne·gri·toes.

1. a member of any of various Indigenous peoples of Africa, the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, the Andaman Islands, and southern India.

Negrito

/ nɪˈɡriːtəʊ /

noun

1. a member of any of various dwarfish Negroid peoples of SE Asia and Melanesia

Word History and Origins

Origin of Negrito¹

First recorded in 1760–70; from Spanish negrito, equivalent to negr(o) “black” + -ito, diminutive suffix; Negrillo ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Negrito¹

C19: from Spanish, diminutive of negro black

Example Sentences

“Changuito,” “su negrito,” and “F— that guy ... he’s with the Blacks” garnered the most attention because we’ve been taught in this country and culture to primarily recognize racism in the form of vitriolic language.

From Los Angeles Times

He described Martinez — who called the Black son of Councilmember Mike Bonin a “negrito” and compared the boy to a “monkey,” derided L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

Within families and friend groups, the lightest-colored person is often nicknamed guerito, or “little white one,” and the darkest negrito, or “little Black one.”

From Los Angeles Times

“When you’re born and raised in Mexico, you are raised listening to things like ‘el negrito,’ ‘la chinita.’

From Los Angeles Times

Martinez, De León, Cedillo and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera were recorded in a mid-October 2021 conversation about city redistricting in which Martinez called the young Black son of Councilman Mike Bonin “Su negrito, like on the side,” using a Spanish diminutive term for a Black person that can be considered demeaning.

From Los Angeles Times