white fragility

noun

A range of defensive behaviors supposedly exhibited by white people in response to challenges to the unstable racial situation that gives them social privileges.

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Meanings

nounwhite fragility (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA range of defensive behaviors supposedly exhibited by white people in response to challenges to the unstable racial situation that gives them social privileges.

Origin

Coined by Robin DiAngelo, lecturer at the University of Washington.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

white fragility. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20fragility

MLA

“white fragility.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20fragility. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “white fragility,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20fragility.

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