white devil

noun

A white person.

Meanings

white devil1

nounwhite devil (plural white devils)

plural white devils

  1. ethnicslurA white person.

    The door opened, the hand of the white devil pulled his collar, dragging the cowering Nightman a decent distance away from the cigarette-lighting Negro at the wheel.

    1970, Wally Ferris, Across 110th, page 93

white devil2

nounwhite devil (plural white devils)

plural white devils

  1. ethnicslurNation of IslamA white person.

    He further stated that MUHAMMAD was the protector of all Muslims and that Allah, with the help of MUHAMMAD, will overthrow the white devils.

    1958, ELIJAH POOLE, was., Elijah Muhammad, Elijah Mohammed, Gulem Bogans, The Messenger of Allah, Elijah Muck Muck, The Prophet, Mohammed Rassoull, Chicago: Federal Bureau of Investigation, published 1982, page 11
    2 more examples

    For more than two hours, as shouts and applause rose in regular cadences, the scowling, incendiary speaker obliged by pouring out his scorn upon all “white devils,” “satisfied black men,” the “poison” Bible, Christianity’s “slave-master doctrine,” and America’s “white for white” justice.

    1959 August 10, “RACES: The Black Supremacists”, in Time, volume LXXIV, number 6, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Jun 2025, page 25

    To them the Black Muslims have a program that makes sense, for it offers them four things: an explanation of their plight (white devils); a sense of pride and self-esteem (black superiority) ; a vision of a glorious future (black ascendancy) ; and a practical immediate program of uplift (working hard and joining together to create Negro enterprise and prosperity).

    1963 April, August Meier, “The Black Muslims”, in Liberation, page 12

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

white devil · noun

Calque from Chinese 洋鬼子 (yángguǐzi, “Western devil”).

Full word history & related roots →

white devil · noun

Coined by Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, pluralizing the concept of the Devil in Islam to encompass all white people.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 洋鬼子
  • 洋鬼子 (yángguǐzi)white devil
Finnish valkoinen piru
  • valkoinen piruwhite devil
Japanese 洋鬼子
  • 洋鬼子 (yōkishi)white devil
Korean 양귀자
  • 양귀자 (yanggwija)white devil
Polish biały diabeł
  • biały diabełwhite devil
Cite this entry
APA

white devil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20devil

MLA

“white devil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20devil. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “white devil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20devil.

Source: white devil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.