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of color

(historical) Belonging to a category of people with mixed black and white ancestry in the Americas in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

ˈʌv ˈkʌlɚDocumented since 1770sSilenthistoricalCurrent183 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
2 definitions
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5 citations · last seen May 2026

Etymology timeline

Born ~1779 · 1 year of recorded use
1779Born2026: 5 citationsToday, 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

#1·Apr 27, 2026

(historical) Belonging to a category of people with mixed black and white ancestry in the Americas in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Heard in the wild
  • “Feds investigate Stanford’s program supporting teachers of color edsource.org/updates/stan...”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Let's just think about it. In our inequal societies people of color, people with disabilities, and all the people from marginalized groups experience exactly this: Whatever they do, it's never enough (for us white people). 2/11”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Much better—I’d recommend using some blocks of color on the text side for some visual interest.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “I just so badly want to see people of color win. I want us to be housed, happy, secure, successful. Tonight my heart hurts for myself and for so many of the people around me who deserve the world.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “It specifically focuses on a National Board partnership program that prioritizes people of color and teachers from low-income schools to boost diversity among school teachers, according to The Mercury News.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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#2·Apr 27, 2026

(chiefly, US) Nonwhite; of a race other than white, for example black.

Origin: Attested since the late 18th century, initially in reference to a category of mixed-race (partially black, partially white) people in the Americas; compare (attested since at least 1779 in gens de couleur), and was used by e.g. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, around which time its modern meaning began to take shape. onward, reaching wide circulation by the 1990s. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"of color" means: Nonwhite; of a race other than white, for example black.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"of color" means: Nonwhite; of a race other than white, for example black.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

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