x-word
x-word noun: the word xenophobia. Also the abbreviation of crossword.
Noun (1)
x-word (plural x-words)
- The word xenophobia.
- The “X word[”] / Although the conference extensively referred to the nation’s need for “social cohesion” among migrants and South Africans, the word “xenophobia” was almost never uttered during the two-day affair.2011 July 4, Kathleen Chaykowski, “Avoiding the X word — Jo’burg responds to refugees”, in Mail & Guardian
- Before one uses the X-word to describe people with less-liberal views on immigration, one should recall its meaning – an extreme or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.2014 June 27, Michael Y.P. Ang, The Independent
Noun (2)
x-word (plural x-words)
- One of a group of fundamental English auxiliary or modal verb forms.
- To change a statement into a question that can be answered “yes” or “no,” one must place an X-word (one of twenty-three auxiliaries or modals) at the beginning of the sentence.1969, Jacqueline Griffin, “Remedial Composition at an Open-Door College”, in College Composition and Communication, volume 20, number 5, →JSTOR, page 361
- The only five x-words that offer any choice of verb form are am, is, are, was and were, and this very limited choice represents the important difference between active and passive voice, for example is eating versus is eaten.1977, Linda Ann Kunz, “X-word Grammar: Offspring of Sector Analysis”, in Journal of Basic Writing, volume 1, number 3, →JSTOR, page 68
Also used as
x-word is also the abbreviation of crossword.
Examples of x-word in a sentence
- Bitter NY Times Throws Around X-Word (Xenophobia), Threat of Violence to Insult Pro-Brexit2016 June 25, @BlissTabitha, Twitter:
- I hope they use my classic thread of REAL xenophobia OUTSIDE of the USA, since the X-word is thrown around like bread at pigeons.2020 December 24, @NoGamesOnNotice, Twitter:
- Past time X-words are did, had, was, were; […]2018, Sue Livingston et al., “Effect of X-Word Grammar and Traditional Grammar Instruction on Grammatical Accuracy”, in English Language...
Forms of x-word
| plural | x-words |
|---|
Origin of x-word
From x, abbreviating xenophobia, + word.
From x- as an abbreviation for cross- in crossword.
From x, abbreviating auxiliary, + word.
Words formed from x-word
Questions about x-word
- What does x-word mean?
- X-word means the word xenophobia.
- How do you use x-word in a sentence?
- Bitter NY Times Throws Around X-Word (Xenophobia), Threat of Violence to Insult Pro-Brexit
- What part of speech is x-word?
- X-word is a noun.
- What is the plural of x-word?
- The plural of x-word is x-words.
Words near x-word in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: x-word (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “x-word.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/x-word. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.