niggerize

English

Alternative forms

• niggerise

Etymology

nigger +‎ -ize

Verb

niggerize (third-person singular simple present niggerizes, present participle niggerizing, simple past and past participle niggerized)

1. (transitive, ethnic slur, offensive) To subject to niggerization, (the act of dehumanizing black people, or other people in the manner of black people).
   • 1971, Nicholas M. Regush, The Drug Addiction Business, page 126:

     It's difficult to view only the addict as "sick" when a "normal" society is rotting: with racial conflict, with increasing poverty, with a school system niggerizing potentially creative minds, with obscene military spending and war aggression […]

   • 1973, Bartholomew Gill, ‎Mark McGarrity, Lucky Shuffles, page 61:

     If you need to niggerize, go and get yourself a passel of spades. We ain't niggers.

   • 1996, Charles Eric Lincoln, Coming Through the Fire: Surviving Race and Place in America, page 139:

     We cannot niggerize half the peoples of the world.

   • 2022, VK Ogilvie, Niggers Sing Redemption Songs: Reggae, the Heart-Beat of a People:

     The destruction of the downtrodden, Black people is an ongoing melee, when White racists have continued to niggerize Black people with their racist laws, their racist customs and racist practices.

2. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (intransitive, ethnic slur, offensive) To be subjected or exposed to black people or their influence.
3. (transitive, ethnic slur, offensive, derogatory) To subject or expose to black people or their influence.
   • 1909, Walter Hines Page, The Southerner, page 328:

     Educated with Negroes, studying and living on a social equality with them; returning to his native State and seeking to niggerize the public schools; dismissed in disgrace;

   • 1912, Don Marquis, Danny's Own Story, page 185:

     And if the Angle-Saxtons was to stand fur that, purty soon they would be sociable equality. And next the hull dern country would be niggerized

   • 1992, The Liberty Bell - Volume 20, page 50:

     Dinkins appointed a white traitor as police commisioner who has announced his top priority is to niggerize the police department by hiring more savages.

   • 2007, Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism, page 177:

     " […] to niggerize our very excellent institution,” ranted a segregationist member of St. Philip's congregation.

4. (transitive, ethnic slur, offensive) To render someone or something to resemble the racist stereotype of a black person.
   • 1975 August, Ebony, volume 30, number 10, page 124:

     Instead their humor simply mocked situations without explaining them and the performers niggerized their material to please white audiences.

   • 1993, The Liberty Bell - Volume 21, page 60:

     But if the white population continues to diminish, and become more niggerized, a more niggerized Christ will also come into being.

   • 2016, Paul Beatty, The Sellout:

     C'mon, Foy, do it right this time. I know you're only five, but niggerize the hell out of this one.

5. (transitive, dated, now offensive) To treat (wood) with paraffin or coke-oven coal tar in order to increase its acid resistance.
   • 1946, Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Wood-Preservers' Association, page 261:

     Niggerized wood is used almost interchangeably with paraffin-treated wood for acid tanks.

   • 1948, Proceedings of the National Annual Meeting - Forest Products Research Society, page 123:

     The "Asidbar" treatment referred to in the subject report appears to be a refinement of the so-called "Niggerizing" treatment which was in some use during the early part of the recent war.

   • 1955, Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.), Wood Handbook, page 54:

     Coal tar is the preferred treating material and heartwood of bald cypress or southern yellow pine the preferred wood for niggerizing.

Antonyms

• deniggerize

Derived terms

• niggerization