Meanings
- UKinformaluncountableFear, dislike, or hatred of people with red hair.
There is a phenomenon called "gingerism" (prejudices against red-headed people) and "gingerphobia" (fear of red-headedness) in Scotland today.
[2007 August 9, “Genetics Gets to the Roots of Why It Is Better to Be Red Than Dead in Cold Climates”, in Cape Times, South Africa2 more examples
Last night, Tate staged a nice running gag on racism by creating a world in which the majority had an irrational hatred of "gingers", meaning redheads. Women of that persuasion were forced to hide from gingerphobia in Russet Lodge, a "ginger refuge".
2005 July 22, Ian Bell, “Those who pay the PR rarely get to call a tune as perfect as this one”, in The Herald, GlasgowAlthough Western civilisation needs new categories of thought-crime like a hole in the head, the idea of gingerphobia as a hate crime is probably no more absurd than many other categories.
2013 January 9, Ed West, “Why is gingerism so common in Britain?”, in The TelegraphSynonyms: gingerism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounFear, dislike, or hatred of people with red hair.
Origin
- Proto-Dravidian*wēr
- Sauraseni Prakrit𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)
- Ancient Greekζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)
- Latinzingiberi
- Late Latingingiber
- Proto-West Germanic*gingiberō
- Old Englishgingifer
- Old Frenchgingembreinflu.
- Middle Englishgingivere
- Middle Englishgingere
- Englishginger
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰógʷos
- Proto-Hellenic*pʰógʷos
- Ancient Greekφόβος (phóbos)
- Englishgingerphobia
Cite this entry
gingerphobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gingerphobia
“gingerphobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gingerphobia. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gingerphobia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gingerphobia.
Source: gingerphobia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.