non-white

1 of 2

adjective

ˌnän-ˈ(h)wīt 

variants or less commonly nonwhite

1

: not of a white race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

non-white immigrants

non-white Alaskans

2

: not of the color white

… I was standing at the very top of the ladder and stretching to paint over the last non-white spot on the ceiling …

—Xaver Bayer

non-white

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly nonwhite

plural non-whites also nonwhites

: a person who is not of a white race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

Examples of non-white in a Sentence

Noun

The program is even less popular among nonwhites.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

If all of those who received invitations this year accept, the overall membership of the Academy will be 35 percent women, 20 percent non-white and 20 percent non-American. —Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2024

County officials promised to vigorously protect currently growing trees and continue planting new ones, particularly in low income and non-white communities that see a lot less cool coverage than the county as a whole. —Janet Wilson, USA TODAY, 6 June 2024

Noun

Share [Findings] Drivers of fancy cars yield to pedestrians less often than drivers of humble cars, and still less if the pedestrians are non-white men. —Kyle Paoletta, Harpers Magazine, 29 Mar. 2023

But the lead acts — Bad Bunny, Blackpink, and Frank Ocean — also make history as the first group of 100% non-white Coachella headliners. —Oscar Hartzog, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1864, in the meaning defined above