Meanings
- informaluncountableA prejudiced attitude about human height that often results in discrimination, based on the belief that unusually short or tall people are inferior and undesirable.
There might be reinforcement of already harmful social evils such as heightism and racism.
2001, James C. Peterson, Genetic Turning Points: The Ethics of Human Genetic Intervention2 more examples
It is obvious that the dimensions of inequality could be extended to include a great many differences such as heightism where people who are taller are superior to people who are shorter, and so forth.
1976, Robert Marsh Kloss, Ron E. Roberts, Dean S. Dorn, Sociology with a Human Face: Sociology as If People MatteredGiven this background, how can dwarfs, beset by beautyism, heightism, and a succession of slights, move toward positive body images and self-esteem?
2005, Betty M. Adelson, The Lives of Dwarfs: Their Journey from Public Curiosity Toward Social Liberation
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kewk-
- Proto-Indo-European*kówkos
- Proto-Germanic*hauhaz
- Proto-Germanic*hauhiþō
- Proto-West Germanic*hauhiþu
- Old Englishhīehþu
- Middle Englishheighte
- Englishheight
- Englishheightism
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 身高歧視 /身高歧视
- 身高歧視 /身高歧视 (shēngāo qíshì)Translations
Polish dyskryminacja z powodu wzrostu
- dyskryminacja z powodu wzrostuTranslations
Cite this entry
heightism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heightism
“heightism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heightism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heightism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heightism.
Source: heightism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.