apartheid

Definition of apartheidnext
as in segregation
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

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apartheid
Noun
  • King, of course, was referring to segregation.
    Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The distortions of segregation in the South in the forties left their mark, to be sure, but behind his tropism for the limelight, underneath all the braggadocio that is mistaken for arrogance, lies Jesse Louis Jackson's greatest longing in life—the lust for legitimacy.
    Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination concerning the sale and financing of housing based on race, religion or national origin.
    Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Jael Marajh, a midwifery graduate awaiting board certification, believes racial discrimination played a significant role.
    Nicky Zizaza, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apartheid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apartheid. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on apartheid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster