The word "nigger" is an offensive term.
Source: tatoeba (752989)
Nigger
/ˈnɪɡə(ɹ)/
Synonyms for "nigger" (70 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (14)
Strong matches (21)
Related words (35)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: jigaboo, nigga, american indian, amerind, australian aborigine.
- Sentence evidence is available for nigger, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, moby, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "nigger".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "nigger"
Keep "nigger" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "nigger" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "nigger", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "nigger" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
10 entriesMore specific
1 entriesin group reclaiming term
Collocations
6 entriesderogatory termethnic sluroffensive epithetpejorative termracial epithetracial slur
Inflections
1 entriesTranslations
111 translations across 42 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- zezak noun (black person (derogatory))
Arabic
4 entries- أَسْوَد noun (black person (derogatory))
- زَنْجِيّ noun (black person (derogatory))
- زِنْجِيّ noun (black person (derogatory))
- عَبْد noun (black person (derogatory))
Armenian
1 entries- նեգր noun (black person (derogatory))
Azerbaijani
1 entries- zənci noun (black person (derogatory))
Bulgarian
2 entries- манга́л noun (black person (derogatory))
- не́гър noun (black person (derogatory))
Chinese
2 entries- 烏張飛 /乌张飞 noun (black person (derogatory))
- 烏鬼 /乌鬼 noun (black person (derogatory))
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 黑鬼 noun (black person (derogatory))
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 尼哥 noun (black person (derogatory))
- 黑鬼 noun (black person (derogatory))
Czech
1 entries- negr noun (black person (derogatory))
Danish
2 entries- abekat noun (black person (derogatory))
- nigger noun (black person (derogatory))
Dutch
3 entries- neger noun (black person (derogatory))
- nikker noun (black person (derogatory))
- roetmop noun (black person (derogatory))
Esperanto
2 entries- nigrulaĉino noun (black person (derogatory))
- nigrulaĉo noun (black person (derogatory))
Estonian
2 entries- neeger noun (black person (derogatory))
- pigi noun (black person (derogatory))
Finnish
4 entries- laku noun (black person (derogatory))
- lakupekka noun (black person (derogatory))
- lakupetteri noun (black person (derogatory))
- neekeri noun (black person (derogatory))
French
4 entries- bougnoule noun (black person (derogatory))
- nègre noun (black person (derogatory))
- négresse noun (black person (derogatory))
- négro noun (black person (derogatory))
Georgian
1 entries- ზანგი noun (black person (derogatory))
German
4 entries- Bimbo noun (black person (derogatory))
- Kaffer noun (black person (derogatory))
- Kafferin noun (black person (derogatory))
- Mohr noun (black person (derogatory))
Greek
2 entries- αράπης noun (black person (derogatory))
- αραπίνα noun (black person (derogatory))
Hawaiian
1 entries- nika noun (black person (derogatory))
Hebrew
2 entries- כּוּשִׁי noun (black person (derogatory))
- כושון noun (black person (derogatory))
Hindi
1 entries- कालू noun (black person (derogatory))
Hungarian
2 entries- feka noun (black person (derogatory))
- néger noun (black person (derogatory))
Icelandic
1 entries- negri noun (black person (derogatory))
Ido
1 entries- nigracho noun (black person (derogatory))
Italian
2 entries- negra noun (black person (derogatory))
- negro noun (black person (derogatory))
Japanese
3 entries- ニガー noun (black person (derogatory))
- 黒んぼ noun (black person (derogatory))
- 黒奴 noun (black person (derogatory))
Korean
2 entries- 검둥이 noun (black person (derogatory))
- 깜둥이 noun (black person (derogatory))
Macedonian
1 entries- црнец noun (black person (derogatory))
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- sotrør noun (black person (derogatory))
- svarting noun (black person (derogatory))
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- svarting noun (black person (derogatory))
Persian
3 entries- سیاه سوخته noun (black person (derogatory))
- غلام سیاه noun (black person (derogatory))
- کاکا سیاه noun (black person (derogatory))
Polish
3 entries- asfalt noun (black person (derogatory))
- bambus noun (black person (derogatory))
- czarnuch noun (black person (derogatory))
Portuguese
3 entries- crioulo noun (black person (derogatory))
- macaco noun (black person (derogatory))
- preto noun (black person (derogatory))
Romanian
2 entries- cioară noun (black person (derogatory))
- negrotei noun (black person (derogatory))
Russian
4 entries- негрито́с noun (black person (derogatory))
- негрито́ска noun (black person (derogatory))
- ни́ггер noun (black person (derogatory))
- черножо́пый noun (black person (derogatory))
Slovak
1 entries- neger noun (black person (derogatory))
Spanish
4 entries- gorila noun (black person (derogatory))
- mayate noun (black person (derogatory))
- mona noun (black person (derogatory))
- mono noun (black person (derogatory))
Swedish
3 entries- neger noun (black person (derogatory))
- nigger noun (black person (derogatory))
- svarting noun (black person (derogatory))
Turkish
2 entries- gündüz feneri noun (black person (derogatory))
- zenci noun (black person (derogatory))
Urdu
4 entries- حبشن noun (black person (derogatory))
- حبشی noun (black person (derogatory))
- کالا noun (black person (derogatory))
- کالو noun (black person (derogatory))
Vietnamese
1 entries- mọi đen noun (black person (derogatory))
Yiddish
2 entries- שוואַרצע noun (black person (derogatory))
- שוואַרצער noun (black person (derogatory))
Sample sentences
55 total sentences available.
He's a nigger.
Source: tatoeba (845902)
"Nigger" is an offensive word.
Source: tatoeba (2897139)
There's a nigger in the woodpile.
Source: tatoeba (4900531)
Showing 4 of 55 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "nigger"?
Closest matches include jigaboo, nigga, american indian, amerind, australian aborigine.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "nigger"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.