microaggression

noun

1. (US, countable, uncountable)Any small-scale verbal or physical interaction between those of different races, cultures, beliefs, or genders that may have no malicious intent, but that can be interpreted as an aggression.

   “Near-synonyms: microassault, microinequity, microinsult, microinvalidation, nanoaggression”

   “At McGill, someone has established a McGill Microaggressions website inviting students and staff to report instances of “sexism, heteropatriarchy, transphobia, classism, racism [and] ableism.””

   “Two terms have risen quickly from obscurity into common campus parlance. Microaggressions are small actions or word choices that seem on their face to have no malicious intent but that are thought of as a kind of violence nonetheless.”

   “For many of us, microaggressions are so commonplace that it seems impossible to tackle them one at a time. Psychologists often compare them to death by a thousand cuts.”

   “Ask whether microaggressions merit the same response as physical assault and the Elect do not receive this as a challenging query.”