: a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority)
A digital photo project run by a Fordham University student about "racial microaggressions" features minority students holding up signs with comments like "You're really pretty … for a dark-skin girl." Jinnie Spiegler
There is a real and worthy conversation taking place in this country now, particularly among young people, around the idea of microaggressions—slight, often unintended discriminatory comments or behaviors. Charles M. Blow
also: behavior or speech that is characterized by such comments or actions
… argues that the power of microaggression lies in its invisibility to the perpetrator, who typically finds it difficult to believe that he or she possesses biased attitudes. Emily Skop
Even "microaggressions" websites themselves would be unobjectionable to some of their critics if they merely made the case that certain phrases and behaviors should be avoided. What these critics find objectionable are two other aspects of "microaggressions" culture: attempts to publicly shame "microaggressors;" and attempts to punish alleged "microaggressors" by reporting them to the authorities. Conor Friedersdorf
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebHamilton Southeastern Public Schools has since updated a microaggression section to their handbook, causing some parents to push back at the June 8 school board meeting at which the measure was approved.Fox News, 24 Aug. 2022 Other studies have found that underrepresented groups and women feel strongest about maintaining flexible work schedules, and who most acutely felt the reprieve from office politics, microaggression, and discrimination.Fortune, 25 July 2022 It’s just crazy college kids, who cares about their microaggression jibber-jabber? Kyle Smith, National Review, 23 June 2022 In another workshop, Warrell’s classmates insisted on interpreting one of her stories as a gloss on race in America because 63 of the story’s 9,075 words described a microaggression against a Black character.New York Times, 22 June 2022 To combat this trend, the County Council must be vigilant in progressively addressing DEI issues (e.g., unconscious bias, microaggression, and allyship) which impact the Board of Education and HCPSS.Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2022 And many times, that impact can even feel like a microaggression. Teresa Hopke, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2021 Also, established leaders our science and engineering communities should tackle issues of bias or instances of microaggression head-on, rather than staying silent. Chandralekha Singh, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2021 But to Dinh, the use of the term felt like a microaggression. Elena Kadvany, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Aug. 2021 See More