White Man's Burden
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The duty supposed to be thrust on the white races, especially the British, to educate and govern the untutored coloured races for their own welfare.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “White Man's Burden” mean?
The duty supposed to be thrust on the white races, especially the British, to educate and govern the untutored coloured races for their own welfare.
Is “White Man's Burden” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.