"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.
of color
(chiefly, US) Nonwhite; of a race other than white, for example black.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1779 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
Feds investigate Stanford’s program supporting teachers of color edsource.org/updates/stan...
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 p…
Much better—I’d recommend using some blocks of color on the text side for some visual interest.
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.
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.
Definitions
(chiefly, US) Nonwhite; of a race other than white, for example black.
"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.
"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.
Comments
(historical) Belonging to a category of people with mixed black and white ancestry in the Americas in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
“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
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "of color" (O)
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Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
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(US, euphemism) Not white, and thus facing challenges (or perceived as deficient) due to racism.
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(uncountable) Human skin tone, especially as an indicator of race or ethnicity.
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Having a color.
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(US, euphemism) White, and thus facing challenges in appealing to nonwhite voters, or in functioning (due to being racist), etc.