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Uncle Tom

noun

Disparaging and Offensive.
  1. a Black person, especially a man, considered by other Black people to be subservient to or to curry favor with white people.

  2. a person who exhibits overly deferential behavior.



Uncle Tom

noun

  1. informala Black person whose behaviour towards White people is regarded as obsequious and servile

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • Uncle Tomish adjective
  • Uncle Tomism noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Uncle Tom1

An Americanism first recorded in 1920–25; so called after the leading character in Uncle Tom's Cabin
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Uncle Tom1

C20: after the slave who is the main character of H.B. Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Later, she added, “Like, what’s Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter.”

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The actor’s performance and commentary led to comparisons to his Uncle Tom role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” where he played a loyal house slave named Stephen.

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“Aunt Jemima conveys the same negative connotation as Uncle Tom, simply because of her looks,” she told The New York Times in a 1990 interview.

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The law leads to angry protests and inspires Harriet Beecher Stowe to write a serialized novel that will become Uncle Tom's Cabin.

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In the ‘70s, as the movement to give Aboriginal Australians land rights gained momentum, Bonner was ridiculed and derided as an “Uncle Tom” by some activists.

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When To Use

doesUncle Tom mean?

Content warning: this article includes content dealing with slavery and racism.Uncle Tom is a fictional character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. His name has become a highly offensive nickname some Black people use to accuse other Black people of subservient to white people and culture.How is Uncle Tom pronounced?[ uhng-kuhl tom ]

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Uncle SamUncle Tomism