apartheid
noun
apart·heid
| \ ə-ˈpär-ˌtāt
, -ˌtīt
\
, -ˌtīt
\
Definition of apartheid
1
: racial segregation
specifically
: a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa
2
: separation, segregation
cultural apartheid gender apartheid
Examples of apartheid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What followed was 250 years of brutal slavery the United States, then a century of de facto apartheid rule. — Ishaan Tharoor, Twin Cities, "Ishaan Tharoor: The 1619 Project and the fear of history," 22 Aug. 2019 This means looking at our history and calling apartheid a crime against humanity and a gross human rights violation. — NBC News, "South Africa court: Using apartheid-era flag is hate speech, should be punished," 22 Aug. 2019 South Africa’s human rights commission joined the application, claiming that those using the old flag felt nostalgia for the apartheid days. — Fox News, "South Africa bans deliberate display of apartheid-era flag after court rules it amounts to hate speech," 22 Aug. 2019 Institutional change can only arise from dialogue, deliberation and debate There are examples from around the world that dealt with deep-seated conflicts, such as in South Africa post-apartheid and Northern Ireland after years of terrorism. — The Economist, "Hong Kongers want and deserve a fair society," 20 Aug. 2019 The council promoted social justice and philanthropic work, and liaised with South African students who opposed apartheid. — Sean Williams, Harper's magazine, "The Black Axe," 19 Aug. 2019 As the South African anthropologist Adam Kuper has pointed out, cultural differences between blacks and whites were used to justify apartheid. — Louis Menand, The New Yorker, "How Cultural Anthropologists Redefined Humanity," 19 Aug. 2019 The movement was launched by about 170 Palestinian civil society groups and cites as inspiration the US civil rights movement and South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. — Adam Rasmi, Quartz, "Why Israel has banned two US congresswomen, explained," 16 Aug. 2019 The Tencent stake now dwarfs its owner’s other businesses and has turned what was once an apartheid-friendly newspaper publisher into Africa’s most valuable company. — Stephen Wilmot, WSJ, "One of the Best Investments in History Becomes a Headache," 24 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apartheid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for apartheid
apartheid
noun
English Language Learners Definition of apartheid
: a former social system in South Africa in which black people and people from other racial groups did not have the same political and economic rights as white people and were forced to live separately from white people
See the full definition for apartheid in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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