Sensitive Terms

Aboriginal The word Aboriginal refers to the indigenous people of Australia and has now largely replaced Aborigine as the preferred modern term.

Aborigine See aboriginal.

accessible The adjective accessible is often used with reference to access for people with impaired mobility, specifically for people in wheelchairs. It is free of any derogatory overtones and is consequently widely used, often in hyphenated form (a wheelchair-accessible building).

actor The term actor is now understood to refer to performers of both sexes. Actor and actress are still in common use, however, and are unlikely to cause offense in most circumstances.

actress See actor.

African American This term, applied to an American of African descent, is often used as an alternative to black and has now largely replaced the earlier usage Afro-American. This latter term should be avoided since it has acquired derogatory overtones.

Afro-American See african american.

American Indian See native american.

Asian Asian is now the preferred term for a person originating from East Asia, replacing the former term Oriental.

author The term author is now commonly employed in reference to writers of either sex. The term authoress may be considered condescending by some people and is best avoided.

authoress See author.

bartender The word bartender has now replaced to some extent the former terms barman and barmaid. Barman is still fairly commonly used in relation to male bartenders, but barmaid is more contentious and is best avoided.

black The term black (usually spelled without an initial capital letter) is now used in preference to most other alternatives to describe a dark-skinned person of African origin. The former terms Negro, Negress, and colored (a word that was inclusive of all nonwhites) are now considered offensive, the latter partly through its association with the apartheid policies of South Africa. Note, however, that the negative associations of the ordinary vocabulary word black with evil and misfortune (a black day, a black outlook) mean that black remains a sensitive term, the use of which may make some people feel uncomfortable. Note particularly that the slang word nigger, from Negro, has long since been considered offensive, except when in jocular use between black people themselves. See also african american; person of color; white.

blind See visually impaired.

businessman/businesswoman See executive.

cameraman/camerawoman See camera operator.

camera operator This term has now largely replaced the former job descriptions cameraman and camerawoman on the grounds that there is no justification for making a distinction based on gender when both people perform the same job. Note that the same gender-neutralizing formula may be applied to numerous other jobs (for example, winch operator).

Caucasian See white.

chair/chairperson The terms chairman and chairwoman were among the most prominent casualties when the language began to be purged of such gender-specific words from the 1960s onward. Many people, however, dislike the rather clumsy alternative chairperson and even more disapprove of chair, which is considered jargonistic and ugly. The term chairman is still heard, but chairwoman is more contentious and is best avoided.

chairman/chairwoman See chair/chairperson.

challenged The term challenged is sometimes used in relation to people who are subject to a mental or physical disability of some kind (physically challenged). In formal contexts, at least, it has to some extent replaced such previous usages as disabled (although this word is still heard) and blind (now visually challenged). Care should be taken not to use the term to excess, however, since such vogue terms as vertically challenged (for short in height) or follicularly challenged (for bald) are disliked by many people and are generally confined to humorous or facetious contexts.

cleft lip This phrase is now the preferred term to describe a congenital split in the upper lip. It replaces the former usage harelip, which is now likely to cause offense.

clergyman/clergywoman See member of the clergy.

colored See black.

congressman/congresswoman See member of congress.

conjoined The term conjoined is now the preferred adjective to describe people who are born physically joined to each other. It replaces the former term Siamese twins.

craftsman/craftswoman See craftworker.

craftworker This term is in widespread use as a replacement for the gender-specific craftsman and craftswoman. A less commonly adopted alternative is craftsperson.

deaf See hearing impaired.

deaf-mute See profoundly deaf.

deprived See disadvantaged.

disabled The adjective and noun disabled has emerged as perhaps the safest choice of word when referring to people who have a physical or mental impairment of some kind. It replaces such former terms as crippled, defective, and handicapped, all of which should be avoided since they have derogatory or negative overtones. Note, however, that caution should be exercised even in the use of disabled, since it, too, may be considered to have negative connotations. It is sometimes preferable to opt for such alternatives as physically challenged or the admittedly less elegant differently abled or person with disabilities (although some people will object to such coinages on the grounds that they are unduly jargonistic). See also challenged.

disadvantaged This term is sometimes employed as a more acceptable alternative to poor, which has strong negative connotations. Other alternatives include deprived and underprivileged.

dumb Care should be taken in the use of dumb in its sense of "mute" or "unable to speak," since the word has come to be dominated by its other, informal sense of "stupid." In order to avoid any implication that the inability to speak arises from innate stupidity, it is best to use an alternative term, such as mute (though this word too can cause offense) or speech impaired. See also profoundly deaf.

dwarf See person of restricted growth.

Eskimo See inuit.

-ess The suffix -ess is sometimes added to nouns to create a specifically feminine variant (manageress, murderess), but such usages may be considered patronizing or sexist. Increasingly the original masculine noun form is applied to both sexes (author, host). Note, however, that in a few cases the -ess ending is never dropped, typically when denoting aristocratic rank (duchess, princess). Note also that caution should be exercised in the use of other related suffixes, such as -ne and -ette (comedienne; usherette).

-ette See -ess.

European See white.

executive Those directly involved in business are particularly sensitive to gender issues and the need to demonstrate an impartial approach to the sexes in order to avoid accusations of bias on gender grounds. In response to this, the gender-neutral term executive (or business executive) is now widely preferred to businessman or businesswoman, although these more traditional terms are by no means redundant.

firefighter The term fireman has been largely replaced by the gender-neutral firefighter since women have come to assume a significant role in the fire service. Although fireman has not entirely disappeared, its counterpart firewoman has never won wide acceptance.

fireman/firewoman See firefighter.

gay The adjective gay originally meant "cheerful" or "lighthearted" but should be used with care in this sense, as the term is now more usually interpreted as meaning "homosexual" (gay marriage, gay rights). The term gay has been wholly accepted by the homosexual community and is unlikely to cause offense, although many people regret the effective loss of the word in its original sense. Note, however, that the term is sometimes assumed to refer specifically to homosexual men and is less commonly used of homosexual women, who are more likely to be described as being lesbian.

geriatric The use of the word geriatric as a descriptive term for an "elderly person" is avoided by some people since it is widely interpreted as having derogatory overtones, with an emphasis on incompetence resulting from advanced age. Similar care should be taken, however, over such alternatives as old person, person of advanced years, and senior citizen.

handicapped See challenged; disabled.

harelip See cleft lip.

hearing impaired The term hearing impaired is often employed, particularly in formal contexts, as a more neutral alternative to deaf, which is felt by many people to have negative connotations. Hearing impaired is generally preferred to another contemporary alternative, aurally inconvenienced. By extension, people with perfect hearing may be termed hearing people. See also profoundly deaf.

Indian See native american.

Inuit The term Inuit is the preferred term for an indigenous inhabitant of the northernmost United States, Canada, and Greenland, formerly called an Eskimo. The modern prejudice against Eskimo lies in its literal meaning of "eater of raw flesh" (while Inuit has the more innocuous meaning of "people"). Note, however, that Inuit does not usually extend to inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands and Siberia, who are also traditionally known as Eskimos.

learning difficulties This phrase is one of several terms now commonly used in reference to people who find the mastering of simple skills a challenge (to be diagnosed with learning difficulties). Such people may also be described as learning disabled, although this term and other similar usages may be considered jargonistic outside formal contexts.

lesbian See gay.

man/woman See person.

mankind/womankind The term mankind is sometimes used to refer to the whole of humanity, regardless of gender (whereas womankind refers specifically to females). The term should be used with caution, however, since it is likely to be considered offensive, particularly where gender issues are being discussed. It may be safer to use such neutral alternatives as the human race, human beings, or even humankind.

member of congress This term is often used as a gender-neutral alternative to congressman and congresswoman, although the latter terms are still in fairly frequent use.

member of the clergy This term is increasingly being used as a replacement for the gender-specific clergyman and clergywoman. Clergywoman in particular has never been popular, although the more politically neutral member of the clergy is occasionally itself considered clumsy. The more concise cleric is an acceptable alternative.

Miss/Mrs./Ms. It is important to know the difference between these three alternative titles for women, all of them abbreviated forms of Mistress. Miss is traditionally the correct form to choose for a girl or young unmarried woman, while Mrs. is appropriate for a woman who is or has been married. The more recent coinage Ms. is used when the marital status of a woman is unknown. Note that both Mrs. and Ms. are conventionally written with a period after them. In modern usage many women dislike being addressed as Miss or Mrs. because of the automatic assumption being made about their marital status. They are more likely to prefer the neutral Ms. Note, however, that Ms. is disliked by some (mainly older) people because of its feminist associations.

Mrs. See miss/mrs./ms.

Ms. See miss/mrs./ms.

native As a noun meaning "indigenous inhabitant," native should be used with care since it may easily cause offense, having acquired various derogatory connotations over the years. The term is unlikely to meet with opposition when used in its widest sense but may well be a cause of resentment when understood to imply "uncivilized barbarian" or "nonwhite" (murdered by natives; violence between natives and colonizers).

Native American This description is now considered the preferred term when referring to the indigenous inhabitants of North America and their modern descendants. It replaces such former terms as Red Indian and Indian, which are now considered unacceptable. Red Indian is particularly likely to cause offense with its reference to skin color. Both Red Indian and Indian are, in any case, derived from a factually incorrect historical assumption (based on the mistaken conclusion of early American explorers that they had arrived in the East Indies). Note also that the term American Indian has in recent times won increasing acceptance as an alternative to the over-repetition of Native American in a given text.

-ne See -ess.

Negress/Negro See black.

nonwhite See white.

Oriental See asian.

partially sighted See visually impaired.

person The word person can refer to either a male or a female, and it is occasionally chosen in preference to the gender-specific man or woman. In the same way, -person is often used as a suffix in replacement of -man or -woman to form such neutral terms as sportsperson, salesperson, spokesperson, etc. Another alternative applicable to people of either sex is individual.

person of color This phrase is sometimes employed as a less provocative alternative to such terms as colored or nonwhite. It does not meet with universal approval, however, being a somewhat labored coinage in the opinion of many people. See also black.

person of restricted growth This phrase is sometimes advanced as a politically acceptable term for a person of unusually short stature. Though clumsy and jargonistic, it is widely considered preferable to dwarf. Midget is entirely unacceptable, now regarded as offensive because of its derogatory overtones. In the United States the term little person is gaining currency.

person with disabilities See disabled.

poet The term poet is now widely understood to refer to poetry writers of either sex. The feminine equivalent poetess is considered condescending and old fashioned and is very rarely encountered.

poetess See poet.

policeman/policewoman See police officer.

police officer The term police officer is now generally preferred to the gender-specific policeman or policewoman, although these are still in use.

profoundly deaf The term profoundly deaf has now largely replaced the terms deaf-mute and deaf-and-dumb to describe a person who is both unable to hear and unable to speak because of the negative connotations of the latter terms. Deaf-and-dumb is considered particularly offensive since it may suggest that the person concerned is incapable of communication of any kind.

Red Indian See native american.

salesgirl/salesman/saleswoman See salesperson.

salesperson The term salesperson has now largely replaced such former gender-specific terms as salesgirl, salesman, and saleswoman. The term salesgirl is doubly contentious, referring both to the person's gender and age.

sculptor The term sculptor was formerly used only for males but is now applied equally to females. The former term sculptress has now been largely replaced.

sculptress See sculptor.

Siamese twins See conjoined.

spokesman/spokeswoman See spokesperson.

spokesperson The term spokesperson is now often preferred to the gender-specific spokesman or spokeswoman, although these are by no means out of use.

sportsman/sportswoman See sportsperson.

sportsperson The terms sportsman and sportswoman are commonly used, but there are circumstances where the gender-neutral sportsperson is preferable (an opportunity for sportspersons everywhere). Care should be taken over the use of this term and similar coinages, however, since they tend to operate less effectively when applied to one gender or the other rather than to both.

squaw This term originally denoted a woman of Native American origin, but since the word has been used more widely as a derogatory term for any woman, regardless of ethnic origin, its use has become controversial and should be avoided in all contexts. The implication is that the woman in question is subservient to her husband or occupied solely with her domestic role.

underprivileged The term underprivileged has emerged as a preferred alternative to poor, denoting people who lack opportunities to improve their comparatively low standard of living. See also disadvantaged.

visually impaired The term visually impaired is now widely preferred to blind when referring to people with impaired eyesight. Blind is now avoided because of its negative associations and also because it does not reflect the many different degrees of visual impairment. It is considered particularly insensitive to use the impersonal plural form the blind. Other acceptable modern alternatives to blind include visually challenged, unsighted, and partially sighted (this last term being reserved for people with at least some vision).

waiter The term waiter was formerly reserved for males only, with waitress being used for females. Increasingly, however, waiter has come to be applied to both sexes, although waitress is by no means obsolete.

waitress See waiter.

weather forecaster The term weather forecaster is often preferred to the gender-specific weathergirl or weatherman. The term weathergirl in particular may be considered condescending.

weathergirl/weatherman See weather forecaster.

white The noun white is considered generally acceptable in descriptions of a person's skin color, but note that the term nonwhite is more controversial and should be avoided on the grounds of its negative connotations. An alternative is to refer instead to a person's geographical origins by using the terms Caucasian or European.

worker The term worker is usefully gender-neutral and is widely preferred to workman or workwoman. Workwoman itself has never enjoyed wide acceptance.

workman/workwoman See worker.