white supremacy

noun

1

: the belief that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races

The alt-right is a reactionary conservative movement … . It is characterized by an embrace of fascism, white supremacy, and misogyny …

—Constance Grady

2

: the social, economic, and political systems that collectively enable white people to maintain power over people of other races

… [William] Kelley turned his considerable intellect and imagination to the question of what it is like to be white in this country, and what it is like, for all Americans, to live under the conditions of white supremacy …

—Kathryn Schulz

Examples of white supremacy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their disillusionment with a religion co-opted to maintain white supremacy echoes in today’s religious and political landscape. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2025

These characters became a tool for feminists looking to portray women’s empowerment and flip gender relations on their heads—but, due in part to the idea's past in American culture, did so often in ways that maintained white supremacy. —Rebecca Scofield / Made By History, TIME, 21 Jan. 2025

The weaponization of the police by certain citizens remains one of the unspoken ways this institution can be used to enforce not just the law, but also the vestiges of white supremacy. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025

This book is written with the premise that climate change should be understood as a consequence of capitalism and white supremacy, which define both the philosophical framework and practical approaches presented in the book. —Anna Broughel, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

white supremacy

noun

: the belief that the white race is superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races

white supremacist noun