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Prepositions after adjectives

How to use racist with prepositions

Racist is commonly followed by towards or against when describing prejudice. Racist to is also used before a person or group.

Quick answer

Common combinations

Use racist towards, racist against, or racist to when describing discriminatory attitudes or behaviour. Racist in and racist for are generally not standard combinations after the adjective racist.

His comments were racist towards immigrants.
The policy was racist against minority groups.
She was racist to her colleagues.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
racist towards + group

Showing prejudice toward people

Racist towards is common in British and international English.

The remarks sounded racist towards Asian students.
He has been openly racist towards migrants.
2
racist against + group

Describing discriminatory attitudes or systems

Racist against is often used for policies, behaviour, or institutions.

The law was criticised as racist against Indigenous communities.
Their hiring practices seemed racist against foreigners.
3
racist to + person/group

Behaviour directed at someone

Racist to focuses on how someone treats another person.

It is unacceptable to be racist to customers.
He was racist to several workers.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
racist towards
She was racist towards refugees.
showing prejudice toward a group
racist against
The system is racist against minorities.
discriminating against a group
racist to
He was racist to his neighbours.
behaving in a racist way toward people
racist in
The phrase racist in this context sounds unnatural.
not a standard complement after racist
racist for
Racist for is not idiomatic in current English.
nonstandard combination

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using racist in as a fixed complement

In may introduce a context, but it is not the normal preposition directly after racist.

✕ They are racist in immigrants. ✓ They are racist towards immigrants.

Using racist for a target group

For does not normally follow racist to name the people affected.

✕ The policy is racist for migrants. ✓ The policy is racist against migrants.

Confusing racist to with racist towards

Both are possible, but racist to emphasises behaviour toward people.

✓ He was racist to the new employee.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The comments were racist ___ foreign workers.
2. Many argued the rule was racist ___ minorities.
3. She was fired for being racist ___ customers.

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Frequently asked questions

Is racist towards more common than racist against?

Both are standard. Towards often describes personal attitudes, while against is common for systems and policies.

Can I use racist to someone?

Yes. Racist to someone focuses on behaviour directed at a person or group.

Is racist in correct English?

Not usually as a direct complement after racist. In normally introduces a context, not the target of prejudice.

"radical in" or "radical for"? rampant in, among, with, on or throughout? "rare in" or "rare for"? "rational for" or "rational in"? "raw in", "raw for" or "raw with"? reachable by, from, on, in or through? "reactive to", "reactive rather" or "reactive in"? ready for, to, in, at or by? "realistic about" or "realistic in"? "real to", "real for" or "real in"? rearing of, as or on? "reasonable for" or "reasonable in"?

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