Glossary

Political correctness

A term for language and behavior meant to avoid offending particular groups, used both approvingly as courtesy and critically as enforced orthodoxy.

Also called: PC, politically correct

Political correctness refers to the practice of choosing words and actions intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to groups that have been marginalized, for example by using respectful terms for race, disability or gender. The phrase appeared among leftist circles in the early twentieth century, often ironically, and entered wide use in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Supporters see it as ordinary civility and sensitivity that reflects changing norms about respect. Critics, most often conservatives but also some liberals and free-speech advocates, argue that it can become a form of social pressure that discourages honest discussion, restricts speech on campuses and in workplaces and imposes an orthodoxy. President George H.W. Bush criticized it in a 1991 speech, and Donald Trump has made rejection of it part of his political brand.

The term is itself contested: many say that "PC" is a label used to dismiss any complaint about offensive speech, while others say that it describes real constraints. The law protects speech against government restriction, a principle seen in compelled speech cases, but private institutions can set their own rules. The topic is tied to woke and cancel culture.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Woke A term that began as awareness of racial injustice and is now often used, mostly pejoratively, for progressive cultural and social attitudes. Cancel culture The practice of withdrawing support from or publicly shaming people or institutions deemed to have said or done something offensive, a contested label. Identity politics Political activity organized around group identities such as race, gender or religion, a term used both descriptively and as criticism. Compelled speech The First Amendment principle that the government generally cannot force people to express messages they disagree with. Moral relativism The view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to a culture, group or individual, not universally.