misogynoir

noun

mi·​sog·​y·​noir mə-ˌsä-jə-ˈnwär How to pronounce misogynoir (audio)
: hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against Black women
During [Ketanji Brown] Jackson's hearing, a national audience got to witness misogynoir in action, the crossroads of misogyny and racism that's a lived experience familiar to the judge and so many Black women.Renée Graham
Misogynoir is rampant in ways that may not even be realized. The hashtag #SayHerName was created in 2014 to highlight misogynoir and how stories of Black women and girls often go overlooked, unnoticed and untold.Janice Gassam Asare
"The real root of misogynoir is how people perceive and treat Black women and understand them to be worthy of respect and care—that's something that has to change at the structural level of our society, not just the individual behaviors."Moya Bailey

Examples of misogynoir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Combating misogynoir both online and offline during this fraught election season will be no easy feat but there are several things that can be done. Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Growing up in predominantly Black environments makes this experience less miraculous, and the concept of being an object of their projections of internalized misogyny and anti-Blackness doesn’t challenge me; we are all conditioned in internalized misogynoir. Akilah Sailers, Essence, 30 Sep. 2024 Since the announcement that Biden was exiting the race and that Harris would be the presumptive nominee, much of the conversation surrounding Harris has been laden with misogynoir and anti-blackness. Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Cracking farcical jokes about alopecia is ableist misogynoir at its finest. Akilah Sailers, Essence, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for misogynoir 

Word History

Etymology

blend of misogyny and French noir "black" (going back to Old French neir, going back to Latin nigr-, niger, of obscure origin)

Note: Coinage of the word is credited to the Black scholar and activist Moya Bailey, who used it in a posting to the Crunk Feminist Collective blog in 2010.

First Known Use

2010, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misogynoir was in 2010

Dictionary Entries Near misogynoir

Cite this Entry

“Misogynoir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misogynoir. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!