Meanings
great white hope1
plural great white hopes · alternative white hope
- A highly skilled white/Caucasian challenger for leadership in a field whose top ranks are dominated by non-Caucasians; especially a field which was once dominated by white Caucasians, and is now dominated by those of black-African descent.
- A person expected to succeed and bring prestige to their native group.
1 more example
The arrest of Christo — who three times has run unsuccessfully for selectperson in Provincetown and who has been a leading proponent of the proposal to establish a [gay] community radio station here — caused the biggest stir. Considered once by many to be Provincetown's "liberal great white hope," his political career is now in doubt.
1977 August 20, “7 Arrested in Undercover Raid on P'town Bar”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 7, page 1
Great White Hope2
- USwhite supremacygovernmentNickname for Donald Trump (born 1946), President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone (or something) expected to achieve great success in a given field
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
great white hope · noun
Coined in the early 20th century, first appearing in 1910; during a period when African-American heavyweight champion boxer Jack Johnson seemed unbeatable by a Caucasian boxer. A term that first gained prominence with James J. Jeffries' return from retirement to fight Jack Johnson in 1910. Following this, a wave of white fighters, many with no prior boxing experience, suddenly took up the sport in hopes of defeating him. In what became a racially charged search for a white boxer to reclaim the title. With many of them collectively referred to as "White Hopes." The term was repopularized in the late-mid 1900s with the appearance of the play and film "The Great White Hope"; and its definition extended beyond boxing and Caucasians.
Full word history & related roots →Great White Hope · proper noun
Coined by white supremacists during the 2016 United States presidential election.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
great white hope. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/great%20white%20hope
“great white hope.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/great%20white%20hope. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “great white hope,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/great%20white%20hope.
Source: great white hope on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.