Meaning & use

racially profiled

adjective, verb·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˌreɪʃəli ˈprəʊfaɪld/
US/ˌreɪʃəli ˈproʊfaɪld/

Meanings

  1. adjectiveafter a verb

    treated unfairly by police or security because of your race, not because of anything you did

    Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, get, or feel: She felt racially profiled at the airport.

    Patterns

    • be racially profiled
    • get racially profiled
    • feel racially profiled

    The customer said he was racially profiled when the store detective followed him around.

    Several drivers reported that they had been racially profiled during traffic stops.

  2. verbtransitive

    the past tense and past participle of 'racially profile': to treat someone unfairly based on their race

    Grammar: The base form is 'racially profile'; use 'racially profiled' for past events or passive sentences.

    Patterns

    • racially profile someone
    • be racially profiled by someone

    The report showed that officers racially profiled young men from minority backgrounds.

    She claimed the airline had racially profiled her before boarding.

Common combinations

be racially profiled by police
Many people in the survey said they had been racially profiled by police.
feel racially profiled
He felt racially profiled when the guard asked only him for ID.
racially profiled at the airport
Passengers complained about being racially profiled at the airport.

Synonyms and how they differ

discriminated against
This is wider: it covers unfair treatment because of race, sex, age, or other reasons, not only race.

Word family

racial profiling noun
The practice of treating people unfairly because of their race.
racially profile verb
The base verb form meaning to treat someone unfairly based on race.

Practice

Complete the sentence: 'He said he was ____ when the officer stopped him for no clear reason.'

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