High Yellow Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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high yellow

noun

variants or less commonly high yaller -ˈya-lər dated, often offensive : a Black person of light complexion

Word History

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler The first known use of high yellow was in 1910 See more words from the same year

Rhymes for high yellow

• marshmallow
• morello
• othello
• schoolfellow
• cello
• fellow
• jello
• mellow
• melo
• velo
• portobello
• violoncello

See All Rhymes for high yellow

Browse Nearby Words

High Wycombe high yellow HIH See all Nearby Words

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“High yellow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high%20yellow. Accessed 26 Dec. 2025.

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