affirmative action

noun

: the use of policies, legislation, programs, and procedures to improve the educational or employment opportunities of members of certain demographic groups (such as minority groups, women, and older people) as a remedy to the effects of long-standing discrimination against such groups

Note: Affirmative action gives limited preference to qualified groups (which may include racial and ethnic minorities, women, older people, people with disabilities, and some veterans) in job hiring, admission to institutions of higher education, the awarding of government contracts, and other social benefits.

The term affirmative action was … used in an executive order issued by President Johnson in 1965, which banned all federal contractors and subcontractors, as well as unions involved in federal work, from practicing employment discrimination.

—Michael L. Levine

Unlike previous measures, such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, which prohibited discrimination, the goal of affirmative action was to adopt a proactive approach to redressing past discrimination. It goes beyond the prohibition of overtly racist practices by requiring employers, public contractors, and college admissions officers to cast a wider net in their searches for qualified workers and students through active recruitment of racial minorities.

—Shirley J. Yee et al.

Examples of affirmative action in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Large companies, too, dismantled their DEI policies following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision that ended affirmative action in college admissions. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 5 June 2025

Among the many threats facing higher education today, the steep declines in Black student enrollment caused by the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to eliminate race-conscious affirmative action continue to be a challenge most competitive universities are struggling to overcome. —Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

Another order ended affirmative action in federal contracting and directed layoffs for federal diversity, equity and inclusion staffers. —Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025

The letter cites ongoing issues between the university and the administration, such as affirmative action and protesting on campus, as well as criticizing the temporary removal of standardized testing like the SAT or ACT, which was reinstated in April 2024, and overall management of the university. —Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 5 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for affirmative action

• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• distraction
• exaction
• extraction
• impaction
• inaction
• infraction

Kids Definition

affirmative action

noun

: the use of laws, policies, and programs giving limited preference to qualified minority groups and women to improve educational and employment opportunities as a remedy to the effects of long-standing discrimination

Legal Definition

affirmative action

noun

: an active effort (as through legislation) to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups or women