Learn English – Politically correct synonym for “Indian giver”

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The phrase "Indian giver" means someone who gives a person a gift and then wants it back later. It's occasionally a useful concept, but the dictionary says it's offensive and I also think so. Is there a non-racist way to say this?

Best Answer

In law, the standard verbs for undoing a gift, contract, or other undertaking previously entered into are rescind, revoke, abrogate, and annul. Their relevant definitions, per Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary, are as follows (in alphabetical order):

abrogate vt 1 : to abolish by authoritative action : ANNUL 2 : to treat as nonexistent {abrogating their responsibilities} [no noun form listed for "one who abrogates"]

annul vt 3 : to declare or make legally invalid or void {wants the marriage annulled} [no noun form listed for "one who annuls"]

rescind vt 2 a : TAKE BACK, CANCEL {refused to rescind the order} b : to abrogate (a contract) and restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had there been no contract ... — rescinder n

revoke vt 1 : to annul by recalling or taking back : RESCIND {revoke a will} ... — revoker n

Unfortunately, the only two usable noun forms for these four verbs are rescinder and revoker, neither of which is at all common in everyday English.

An even more relevant verb might be renege, understood in the following sense:

renege vi 3 : to go back on a promise or commitment — reneger n

But reneger, while objectively a good fit for your context, is rarely used and puts you at risk of being misunderstood and upsetting people in a different (but no less deeply felt) way.

Since there isn't a truly satisfactory way to express what you mean in a simple word or phrase ("taker-back" doesn't work either, in my opinion), you're probably best off to describe the situation in as much detail as you need—and then say something like "that's what I call a 'gift ungiver' [or a 'gift reclaimer' or whatever wording strikes your fancy]."

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