name
Meaning 1
A given name for a black pet.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical, offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
nigger
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈnɪɡə/
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General-American: /ˈnɪɡəɹ/
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Received-Pronunciation: nĭgʹər
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)/
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General-American: nĭgʹər
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General-American: /ˈnɪɡɚ/
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Northern-California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪɡə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: N IH1 G ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
name
Meaning 2
Niger (nation).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory
Qualifier: highly offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A black person; a person of black African descent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ethnic, offensive, slur, vulgar
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: BIPOC, BME, colored, colored person, minority, nonwhite, person of color
noun
Meaning 4
A black person; a person of black African descent.
A person of black African descent who behaves badly or unconventionally (whether the speaker approves or disapproves).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ethnic, offensive, slang, slur, vulgar
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: BIPOC, BME, colored, colored person, minority, nonwhite, person of color
noun
Meaning 5
A member of any typically dark-skinned people (now especially in combinations like prairie nigger or sand nigger).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ethnic, offensive, slur, vulgar
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A friend, particularly a fellow black person (often as an informal term of address).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: African-American Vernacular
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A person of any kind (particularly as a term of abuse).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Qualifier: especially African-American Vernacular; otherwise offensive; especially African-American Vernacular; otherwise offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A member of a group that is oppressed or marginalized in the manner of black people.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: especially, offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
Any of various dark animals:
Any member of species Girella tricuspidata (luderick).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
Any of various dark animals:
A dark brown nymphalid butterfly, Orsotriaena medus, of south Asia, southeast Asia, and Australia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
Any of various dark animals:
A kind of sea cucumber, Holothuria forskali, the cotton-spinner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Cornwall, UK, archaic, offensive
Topics: fishing, hobbies, lifestyle
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
Any of various dark animals:
The larva of the turnip sawfly, an agricultural pest.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 13
An impurity in the covering of an electrical conductor which serves to make a partial short circuit, and thus becomes sufficiently heated to burn and destroy the insulation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 14
A strong iron-bound timber with sharp teeth or spikes protruding from its front face, forming part of the machinery of a sawmill, and used in canting logs, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 15
A steam-capstan on some Mississippi river boats, used to haul the boat over bars and snags by a rope fastened to a tree on the bank.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 16
A black screen used in conjunction with the camera to block light or produce special lighting effects.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 17
To clear land by laying light pieces of round timber across the trunks of the trees and setting fire to them at the point of contact, by which means the trees are slowly burned through.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 18
To exhaust (soil) by cropping it year by year without manure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 19
To perform in blackface.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 20
To behave as a stereotypical black person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 21
To treat as inferior.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: offensive, transitive, uncommon
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 22
(ethnic slur) extremely offensive name for a Black person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- only a Black can call another Black a nigga
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: nigga, spade, coon, jigaboo, nigra
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Black, Black person, blackamoor, Negro, Negroid
History
Etymology
In reference to the color black, from nigger.
Blend of Niger + nigger.
Alteration of earlier neger, from Middle French nègre (“a black person”), from Spanish negro. Ultimately from Latin niger (“black”), thus a doublet of negro and noir. The expected Modern English pronunciation would be with /iː/; compare neger. The modern pronunciation with /ɪ/ may be due to influence from the Latin etymon (compare the older Southern US pronunciation of negro with /ɪ/), but compare the dialectal American pronunciations of eagle and eager as /ˈɪɡəl/ and /ˈɪɡɚ/. Compare Danish neger, Swedish neger, German Neger, Dutch neger. First use appears c. 1577, in the writings of Edward Hellowes (fl. 1574–1601).
Across languages
Translations
116 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Albanian: zezak — black person (derogatory)
- Arabic: زِنْجِيّ (zinjiyy) — black person (derogatory)
- Arabic: زَنْجِيّ (zanjiyy) — black person (derogatory)
- Arabic: أَسْوَد (ʔaswad) — black person (derogatory)
- Arabic: عَبْد (ʕabd) — black person (derogatory)
- Armenian: նեգր (negr) — black person (derogatory)
- Azerbaijani: zənci — black person (derogatory)
- Baluchi: ٹیہہ (ťíh) — black person (derogatory)
- Baluchi: ٹینگ (ťeng) — black person (derogatory)
- Bulgarian: манга́л (mangál) — black person (derogatory)
- Bulgarian: не́гър (négǎr) — black person (derogatory)
- Chinese Cantonese: 黑鬼 (hak1 gwai2, haak1 gwai2) — black person (derogatory)
- Chinese: 烏鬼 /乌鬼 (o͘-kúi) — black person (derogatory)
- Chinese: 烏張飛 /乌张飞 (o͘-tiun-hui) — black person (derogatory)
- Chinese Mandarin: 黑鬼 (hēiguǐ) — black person (derogatory)
- Chinese Mandarin: 尼哥 (nígē) — black person (derogatory)
- Czech: negr — black person (derogatory)
- Danish: nigger — black person (derogatory)
- Danish: abekat — black person (derogatory)
- Dutch: nikker — black person (derogatory)
- Dutch: neger — black person (derogatory)
- Dutch: roetmop — black person (derogatory)
- Esperanto: nigrulaĉo — black person (derogatory)
- Esperanto: nigrulaĉino — black person (derogatory)
- Estonian: neeger — black person (derogatory)
- Estonian: pigi — black person (derogatory)
- Finnish: neekeri — black person (derogatory)
- Finnish: nekru — black person (derogatory)
- Finnish: lakupekka — black person (derogatory)
- Finnish: lakupetteri — black person (derogatory)
- Finnish: laku — black person (derogatory)
- French: nègre — black person (derogatory)
- French: négresse — black person (derogatory)
- French: négro — black person (derogatory)
- French: bougnoule — black person (derogatory)
- Georgian: ზანგი (zangi) — black person (derogatory)
- German: Neger — black person (derogatory)
- German: Negerin — black person (derogatory)
- German: Nigger — black person (derogatory)
- German: Niggerin — black person (derogatory)
- German: Bimbo — black person (derogatory)
- German: Kaffer — black person (derogatory)
- German: Kafferin — black person (derogatory)
- German: Mohr — black person (derogatory)
- German: Mohrin — black person (derogatory)
- Greek: αράπης (arápis) — black person (derogatory)
- Greek: αραπίνα (arapína) — black person (derogatory)
- Hawaiian: nika — black person (derogatory)
- Hebrew: כושון (kushon) — black person (derogatory)
- Hebrew: כּוּשִׁי (kúshi) — black person (derogatory)
- Hindi: कालू (kālū) — black person (derogatory)
- Hungarian: néger — black person (derogatory)
- Hungarian: feka — black person (derogatory)
- Icelandic: negri — black person (derogatory)
- Ido: nigracho — black person (derogatory)
- Italian: negro — black person (derogatory)
- Italian: negra — black person (derogatory)
- Japanese: 黒んぼ (kuronbo) — black person (derogatory)
- Japanese: 黒奴 (kokudo) — black person (derogatory)
- Japanese: ニガー (nigā) — black person (derogatory)
- Korean: 검둥이 (geomdung'i) — black person (derogatory)
- Korean: 깜둥이 (kkamdung'i) — black person (derogatory)
- Latvian: nēģeris — black person (derogatory)
- Latvian: nēģeriete — black person (derogatory)
- Macedonian: црнец (crnec) — black person (derogatory)
- Norwegian Bokmål: svarting — black person (derogatory)
- Norwegian Bokmål: sotrør — black person (derogatory)
- Norwegian Nynorsk: svarting — black person (derogatory)
- Persian: سیاه سوخته (siyâh suxte) — black person (derogatory)
- Persian: غلام سیاه (ġolâm-siyâh) — black person (derogatory)
- Persian: کاکا سیاه (kâkâ-siyâh) — black person (derogatory)
- Polish: czarnuch — black person (derogatory)
- Polish: bambus — black person (derogatory)
- Polish: asfalt — black person (derogatory)
- Portuguese: preto — black person (derogatory)
- Portuguese: macaco — black person (derogatory)
- Portuguese: crioulo — black person (derogatory)
- Romanian: negrotei — black person (derogatory)
- Romanian: cioară — black person (derogatory)
- Russian: негрито́с (negritós) — black person (derogatory)
- Russian: негрито́ска (negritóska) — black person (derogatory)
- Russian: чернома́зый (černomázyj) — black person (derogatory)
- Russian: чернома́зая (černomázaja) — black person (derogatory)
- Russian: ни́ггер (nígger) — black person (derogatory)
- Russian: чёрный (čórnyj) — black person (derogatory)
- Russian: черножо́пый (černožópyj) — black person (derogatory)
- Slovak: neger — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negro — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negra — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negrata — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: mayate — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negrillo — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negrilla — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negrito — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negrita — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negrote — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negraso — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: negro de mierda — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: mono — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: mona — black person (derogatory)
- Spanish: gorila — black person (derogatory)
- Swedish: neger — black person (derogatory)
- Swedish: nigger — black person (derogatory)
- Swedish: svarting — black person (derogatory)
- Turkish: zenci — black person (derogatory)
- Turkish: gündüz feneri — black person (derogatory)
- Turkish: marsık — black person (derogatory)
- Urdu: حبشی (habśī) — black person (derogatory)
- Urdu: حبشن (habśan) — black person (derogatory)
- Urdu: کالا (kālā) — black person (derogatory)
- Urdu: کالی (kālī) — black person (derogatory)
- Urdu: کالو (kālū) — black person (derogatory)
- Urdu: کلو (kallū) — black person (derogatory)
- Vietnamese: mọi đen — black person (derogatory)
- Yiddish: שוואַרצער (shvartser) — black person (derogatory)
- Yiddish: שוואַרצע (shvartse) — black person (derogatory)