coolie: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very Low / ArchaicHistorical, Potentially Offensive, Avoid in Modern Neutral Speech
Quick answer
What does “coolie” mean?
An unskilled labourer from Asia, historically working for low wages, often in colonial contexts or on plantations.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
An unskilled labourer from Asia, historically working for low wages, often in colonial contexts or on plantations.
A term with offensive and derogatory connotations, now rarely used due to its association with colonial exploitation and racial discrimination; it may appear in historical or sociological texts to describe indentured or contracted labour from South Asia and China in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant regional difference in meaning. Historically more common in British colonial contexts (e.g., India, Caribbean). In the US, it was used regarding Chinese railroad labourers.
Connotations
Universally negative and dated in both variants due to its racist and colonial origins.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary usage in both regions, largely replaced by neutral terms like 'labourer' or 'worker'. Its appearance is mostly historical.
Grammar
How to Use “coolie” in a Sentence
Act as a coolieEmploy cooliesThe system of coolie labourVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “coolie” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- (Not standard; historical) They were effectively coolied into servitude on the plantation.
American English
- (Not standard; historical) Chinese immigrants were often coolied to build the transcontinental railroad.
adjective
British English
- (Historical) The coolie trade was a brutal system of indentured labour.
American English
- (Historical) They lived in coolie quarters near the railway construction site.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Appears in historical, post-colonial, or labour migration studies, often in quotation marks to indicate its problematic status.
Everyday
Should be avoided; considered offensive.
Technical
Not used in modern technical language.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “coolie”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “coolie”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “coolie”
- Using it as a neutral contemporary term for a labourer.
- Mispronouncing it as /ˈkʊli/ (like 'cull').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Only with extreme caution in strictly academic or historical contexts where the term itself is the subject of discussion. It should not be used to refer to present-day people or as a general synonym for 'worker'.
Its etymology is disputed but likely derives from a South Indian language (e.g., Tamil 'kūli' meaning 'wages' or 'hire') or from a Chinese term for 'bitter labour'. It was adopted and spread by European colonial powers.
Use neutral, descriptive terms like 'labourer', 'worker', 'manual worker', or more specific terms like 'contract worker' or 'indentured labourer' in historical contexts.
It is offensive because it reduces individuals to a dehumanised, exploited class defined by race and colonial power structures. It is indelibly linked to systems of indentured servitude, extreme hardship, and racial discrimination.
An unskilled labourer from Asia, historically working for low wages, often in colonial contexts or on plantations.
Coolie is usually historical, potentially offensive, avoid in modern neutral speech in register.
Coolie: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkuːli/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkuːli/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Work like a coolie (dated/offensive - implies extremely hard, poorly-paid labour)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'COOL' (out of place) + 'LIE' (a false narrative). The word represents a false and dehumanising colonial narrative about Asian labourers.
Conceptual Metaphor
HUMAN AS COMMODITY / EXPLOITED RESOURCE.
Practice
Quiz
In which context might the word 'coolie' appear appropriately today?