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quarter-caste

(Australia, New Zealand, pejorative) A person with one "half-caste" parent and one Caucasian parent.

ˈkwɔɹtɚˌkeɪst113 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇦🇺 Australian & NZ slang
2 definitions
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Definitions

Australia
#1·Apr 27, 2026AUS

(Australia, New Zealand, pejorative) A person with one "half-caste" parent and one Caucasian parent.

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Australia
#2·Apr 27, 2026AUS

(Australia, New Zealand, pejorative) Having one "half-caste" parent; especially, having three Caucasian and one non-Caucasian grandparents.

For parents

"quarter-caste" means: Having one "half-caste" parent; especially, having three Caucasian and one non-Caucasian grandparents.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"quarter-caste" means: Having one "half-caste" parent; especially, having three Caucasian and one non-Caucasian grandparents.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (New Zealand) — 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

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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang

Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.

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