tokenism
noun
to·ken·ism
| \ ˈtō-kə-ˌni-zəm
\
\
Definition of tokenism
: the policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort (as to desegregate)
Examples of tokenism in a Sentence
Did the company choose her for her merits, or merely as an act of tokenism?
Recent Examples on the Web
In a world where companies engage in tokenism to satisfy their customers’ false green preferences, the efforts by Marriott and InterContinental are perfectly acceptable. — Yossi Sheffi, Quartz, "Removing mini-shampoos from hotel rooms won’t save the environment," 29 Aug. 2019 Luce makes a natural conduit for Lee and Onah’s sharp ideas about the limitations of tokenism and the moral bankruptcy of prioritizing optics over human lives. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: Who is ‘Luce’? Kelvin Harrison Jr. gives a compelling answer in a twisty race drama," 15 Aug. 2019 Whether or not the company can evolve remains to be seen, and critics have already labeled Sampaio’s casting a case of tokenism, an attempt to win goodwill in the court of public opinion. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "For Valentina Sampaio, Victoria’s Secret Is Only the Beginning," 8 Aug. 2019 In a world where companies engage in tokenism to satisfy their customers’ false green preferences, InterContinental Hotels Group efforts are perfectly acceptable. — Yossi Sheffi, The Conversation, "Removing mini-shampoos from hotel rooms won’t save the environment," 23 Aug. 2019 Luce makes a natural conduit for Lee and Onah’s sharp ideas about the limitations of tokenism and the moral bankruptcy of prioritizing optics over human lives. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: Who is ‘Luce’? Kelvin Harrison Jr. gives a compelling answer in a twisty race drama," 15 Aug. 2019 Luce makes a natural conduit for Lee and Onah’s sharp ideas about the limitations of tokenism and the moral bankruptcy of prioritizing optics over human lives. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Who is ‘Luce’? Kelvin Harrison Jr. gives a compelling answer in a twisty race drama," 31 July 2019 Every day still there’s still resistance for curvy women in the industry, and there is tokenism for curvy women in the industry. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Models Kendall, Gigi, Ashley, and Paloma on Fashion, #MeToo, and Becoming a Brand," 11 Oct. 2018 When Franca commissioned you to make the Black Issue for Italian Vogue, that was a massive statement, even though some criticized it as tokenism at the time. — Sarah Mower, Vogue, "Edward Enninful Talks Diversity, Kate and Naomi, and His Early Modeling Days Ahead of His CFDA Media Award Win," 31 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tokenism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for tokenism
tokenism
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tokenism
: the practice of doing something (such as hiring a person who belongs to a minority group) only to prevent criticism and give the appearance that people are being treated fairly
See the full definition for tokenism in the English Language Learners Dictionary