1
as in emancipation
the act of setting free from slavery
the Emancipation Proclamation was merely the first step in the full enfranchisement of African-Americans
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Recent Examples of enfranchisement
The years leading up to the creation of the Freedman’s Memorial saw the full enfranchisement of Black men—and then the dimming of this vision.
—
Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
Many claim that with the abolition of slavery and the enfranchisement of women, and many other new laws like civil rights legislation and changing gender norms, there has been great progress.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
In theory, this transition inaugurates a chapter of enfranchisement, but in the next scene the Senegalese businessmen are in suits, and the white men return with briefcases full of money as bribes.
—Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
Many claim that with the abolition of slavery and the enfranchisement of women, and many other new laws like civil rights legislation and changing gender norms, there has been great progress.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
In theory, this transition inaugurates a chapter of enfranchisement, but in the next scene the Senegalese businessmen are in suits, and the white men return with briefcases full of money as bribes.
—Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfranchisement
Noun
-
Such a short intervening space after emancipation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
The Black populations of France’s other colonies had to wait until 1848, when another revolution in Paris led to the passage of a second emancipation law – still 15 years in advance of Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation decree.—
Jeremy D. Popkin,
The Conversation,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
That's the movement for abolition and suffrage and civil rights.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
-
The last, in 1918, finally delivered universal male suffrage, as well as suffrage for many women.—
Danielle Allen,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Noun
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Minimizing the importance of his own creative labor is one thing, but Schrader’s remarks read more like philosophical recklessness than individual liberation.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
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The new movie Pressure, Anthony Maras' screen adaptation of David Haig's acclaimed 2014 play, comes to the big screen in time for the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, carving out a place in the pantheon of films about the World War II liberation of Western Europe away from the action on the beaches.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enfranchisement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfranchisement. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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