person of color
Syllabification: (per·son of col·or)
(also man of color, woman of color)
Definition of person of color
noun
The term person of color is first recorded at the end of the 18th century. It was revived in the 1990s as the recommended term to use in some official contexts, especially in US English, to refer to a person who is not white. In general use, however, it comes across as somewhat contrived, and even in official contexts it never quite took hold. The word nonwhite, for instance, which is one of the terms person of color was meant to replace, is often the preferred choice, especially in demographic descriptions. See also black (usage), colored, and nonwhite.