anti-lynching

adjective

an·​ti-lynch·​ing
ˌan-tē-ˈlin-chiŋ,
ˌan-tī- How to pronounce anti-lynching (audio)
: serving or intended to prevent or punish lynching
anti-lynching laws

Examples of anti-lynching in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Born in 1862, Wells was an influential Black journalist and anti-lynching advocate. Amy Gais / Made By History, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025 The 1892 People’s Grocery murders, whose victims were friends of Wells-Barnett, began her long career of anti-lynching writing and activism. Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Feb. 2025 In its first few decades, A.K.A. advocated for anti-lynching legislation, full voting rights, and education for Black children. Jazmine Hughes, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 DuBois also pays close attention to Black women suffragists, especially Terrell and Ida B. Wells-Barnett, whose anti-lynching work should not obscure her contributions to the women’s rights movement. Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020 Core to her anti-lynching crusade was the evisceration of the rape myth, exploding the idea that lynching was always retribution for assaults on white Southern womanhood. Faron Levesque, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024 Throughout her life, Walker supported other civil rights efforts, including donating $5,000 to the NAACP's anti-lynching efforts. The Indianapolis Star, 13 Aug. 2016 Calvin Coolidge likewise supported the anti-lynching law and presided over a dramatic national decline in lynchings, reversing the trend line of anti-black violence that had crested during and immediately after Wilson’s tenure in office. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 6 Feb. 2024 Wells was an outspoken critic of segregation, an anti-lynching advocate and also prominent fighter for Black women’s suffrage. Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 19 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-lynching was in 1885

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Cite this Entry

“Anti-lynching.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-lynching. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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