lily-white

[adj. lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt; n. lil-ee-hwahyt, -wahyt] /adj. ˈlɪl iˈʰwaɪt, -ˈwaɪt; n. ˈlɪl iˌʰwaɪt, -ˌwaɪt/
adjective
1.
white as a lily:
soft lily-white skin.
2.
pure; untouched by corruption or imperfection; above reproach:
He tries to pass himself off as some sort of lily-white saint, but he's not.
3.
designating or pertaining to any faction, organization, or group opposing the inclusion of blacks, especially in political or social life.
noun
4.
a member of a lily-white organization, especially a member of a former faction of the Republican Party in the South opposed to the inclusion of blacks in the party or in political life in general.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English lylie-whyt
Synonyms
3. segregated, discriminatory, unintegrated.
Examples from the web for lily-white
  • They want to preserve a lily-white version of society.
  • It's no exaggeration to say the lily-white legacy out of which the fair grew has remained disturbing to many blacks.
British Dictionary definitions for lily-white

lily-white

adjective
1.
of a pure white: lily-white skin
2.
(informal) pure; irreproachable
3.
(US, informal)
  1. discriminating against Black people: a lily-white club
  2. racially segregated
Word Origin and History for lily-white
adj.

early 14c., from lily + white; from 1903 with reference to whites-only segregation; 1964 as "irreproachable."

Slang definitions & phrases for lily-white

lily-white

adjective phrase

Desiring or having only Caucasian residents, workers, etc: The thugs would never think to look for him in a lily-white suburb (1903+)