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Meaning & use

miscegenation

noun·Advancedold-fashionedoffensive

Last updated

UK/ˌmɪsɪdʒɪˈneɪʃn/
US/mɪˌsɛdʒəˈneɪʃn/
Usage warning: this word is offensive. It can hurt or insult people. Learn to recognise it, but avoid using it about anyone.

Meaning

  1. noununcountableold-fashionedoffensive

    Marriage or sexual relations between people of different races, a word from older racist thinking that is mostly used today when discussing history.

    Grammar: Appears in historical or legal discussion: laws against miscegenation.

    Patterns

    • laws against miscegenation
    • ban on miscegenation

    Historians study how laws against miscegenation shaped American society.

    The court struck down the state's ban on miscegenation in 1967.

    The textbook explains that the idea of miscegenation rested on false claims about race.

Common combinations

laws against miscegenation
Laws against miscegenation were common in many states for centuries.
ban on miscegenation
The ban on miscegenation was finally overturned.
fear of miscegenation
Fear of miscegenation drove many discriminatory policies.
history of miscegenation
The museum explores the history of miscegenation laws.

Synonyms and how they differ

interracial marriage
Interracial marriage is the neutral modern term, while miscegenation carries a hostile history and is now used mainly for the old laws and attitudes.
racial mixing
Racial mixing is a more descriptive phrase but can still sound loaded, and it is less tied to legal history.

Opposites

segregation

Word family

miscegenate verb
rare word meaning to mix races
miscegenational adjective
relating to miscegenation
anti-miscegenation adjective
opposed to or banning racial intermarriage, as in anti-miscegenation laws

Commonly confused: miscegenation or assimilation?

miscegenation vs assimilation

Assimilation means a minority group adopting the culture of a larger group, which is not about marriage or ancestry.

Practice

In which context would a modern writer most appropriately use the word miscegenation?

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