affirmative action
nounDefinition of affirmative action
: an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women sought to achieve a multicultural staff through affirmative action also : a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons
Examples of affirmative action in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Supreme Court has upheld race-conscious admission practices as recently as 2016, but affirmative action in higher education remains a contentious issue. — Nick Anderson, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump administration moves to rescind Obama-era guidance on race in admissions," 3 July 2018 Women’s wins are the result of 15 years of electoral reforms, in which Mexico incrementally refined the affirmative action rules that compel political parties to nominate women. — Magda Hinojosa, Washington Post, "Women won big in Mexico’s elections — taking nearly half the legislature’s seats. Here’s why.," 11 July 2018 His administration’s policy on immigration, foreign travel and affirmative action leave no doubt that Trump is unquestionably a bigot. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "Donald Trump is Not Making White People More Racist, He's Making Them Act More Racist," 5 July 2018 But the unending conveyor belt of affirmative action plaintiffs means that the justices will never want for an opportunity to revisit their most recent take on the subject. — Jay Willis, GQ, "The Trump Administration Is Hell-Bent on Ending Affirmative Action," 3 July 2018 The new affirmative action guidance could add to an already contentious fight over the next justice. — Eric Tucker, Houston Chronicle, "Trump revokes Obama policy using race in school admissions," 3 July 2018 In a 4–3 ruling penned by Anthony Kennedy, the court upheld the University of Texas’s (modest) version of affirmative action. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Administration Calls on Colleges to End Affirmative Action," 3 July 2018 Opponents of affirmative action have found allies in the Trump administration. — Deirdre Fernandes, BostonGlobe.com, "Harvard goes on attack to defend its admissions policies," 12 June 2018 Discussions of affirmative action are empty without the background of how these wealth disparities arose. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "What you should know about race-based affirmative action and diversity in schools," 3 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'affirmative action.' 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
Comments on affirmative action
What made you want to look up affirmative action? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
-
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
Which Came First? Quiz
Do you know which word is older?
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
Take the quiz -
Dictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?
Play the game
Share affirmative action
Resources for affirmative action