colorism

English

Alternative forms

• colourism(British spelling)

Etymology

Fromcolor+‎-ism.

Noun

colorism(usuallyuncountable,pluralcolorisms)

1. (American spelling)Prejudiceorbiasagainst persons on the basis of their skin color or complexion, often among persons of the same racial identification.
   • 2011,Don Lemon,Transparent‎^[1],Las Vegas: Farrah Gray,→ISBN:

     Black America used to be, and perhaps still is, a pigmentocracy, which means that the social hierarchy is based largely oncolorism.

   • 2019,Alicia Williams, “2019 Kirkus Prize Finalists: Alicia D. Williams on Writing Genesis Begins Again”, inKirkus Reviews‎^[2],retrieved2021-04-15:

     This type of preferentialcolorismisn’t only found in the church aisles, it’s at family gatherings, on the dating scene, in the classroom, on the playground—it’s everywhere.

   • 2019April 18, Pariha Laila Begum, quotee, “Shades of Black: how readers responded to our series on the colorism taboo”, inThe Guardian‎^[3]:

     Colorismfrom your own people feels worse than racism – at the very least your own family and people should welcome you, no?

   • 2020July 29, E. Tammy Kim, “The Perils of “People of Color””, inThe New Yorker‎^[4]:

     Eliminating racism andcolorismis, of course, a worthy pursuit, but it’s also impossible to do in the abstract.

   • 2021March 15, Kovie Biakolo, “The Bachelor’s “Groundbreaking” Season Was a Representation Nightmare”, inVanity Fair‎^[5]:

     Like those, James’s season still gave noticeably less screen time to its Black contestants—andbecauseof James’s Blackness, thecolorismthat has always plaguedThe Bachelorbecame more visible.

   • 2023,Radhika Iyengar,Fire on the Ganges,Fourth Estate, page166:

     Like many other parts of the world,colourismis rampant in India.

2. (painting)A style ofpaintingcharacterised by the use ofintensecolor.
   • 2002,Robert Suckale, edited by Ingo F. Walther,Masterpieces of Western Art,Taschen,→ISBN,page419:

     Turner'scolorismwith its cosmic world view had nothing to do with realism, in spite of its impasto handling of colour.[…]Turner's images are based on the far-sighted and purely objective views of the 18th century which he imbued with new meaning through hiscolorismbased on colour theory andplein-airpainting.

Translations

prejudice or bias against persons on the basis of their skin color or complexion, often among persons of the same racial identification

• French:colorisme(fr)m
• German:Kolorismusm
• Portuguese:colorismom
• Russian:колори́зм(ru)m(kolorízm)
• Spanish:pigmentocraciaf,colorismom

a style of painting characterised by the use of intense color.

• French:colorisme(fr)m
• German:Kolorismusm
• Spanish:colorismom
• Swedish:kolorismc

Further reading

• colorismon Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• miscolor

Romanian

Etymology

BorrowedfromGermanKolorismus.

Noun

colorismn(uncountable)

1. colorism

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	colorism	colorismul
genitive-dative	colorism	colorismului
vocative	colorismule