whitewashed
adjective, verb
whitewashed is spelled W-H-I-T-E-W-A-S-H-E-D: 11 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, whitewashed means “Painted with the temporary paint whitewash” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in whitewashed?
| Letters | 11: W-H-I-T-E-W-A-S-H-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is whitewashed?
Whitewashed appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce whitewashed?
Whitewashed has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of whitewashed
- more whitewashed comparative
- most whitewashed superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does whitewashed mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Painted with the temporary paint whitewash.
- 2
Having had any controversy or potential for scandal removed, ignored or downplayed.
- 3
Having been subjected to racial whitewashing: made to be or seem more white (Caucasian); for example, having been made to appear whiter via makeup, or by being illustrated in pictures or portrayed in films as white (despite originally or properly being nonwhite).
Hiro's a Japanese guy, Kim's an Indian guy. The transition for the three of us, goin' from a very mixed Chicago area to the very whitewashed Northwest, was kinda weird. It took me years to kinda deal with, Is this a real city? Where are the
- 4
derogatoryA person of color perceived as having assimilated at the expense of their own racial or cultural identity.
She tries to portray that she is the Japanese American woman. That she is very cultured in a Japanese way but she is not! She is very whitewashed.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of whitewash
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does whitewashed come from?
From whitewash + -ed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).