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
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
Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfranchisement
Noun
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One answer was to build a Jewish state; the other, to fight for the emancipation of all oppressed people through universalist, often left-wing, politics.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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At most, a slaveholder might deserve just compensation for the loss of his slave property—an issue that could be litigated in court after the fact of immediate emancipation.—
Akhil Reed Amar,
Time,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In slideshows that accompany each track, Meléndez-Badillo shares snippets of Puerto Rican history — covering the origins of the Puerto Rican flag, women's suffrage, the independence movement and the island's beloved coquí frogs.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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As a writer and active member of the Whig Party, Malthus was a reformer who advocated free national education, the extension of suffrage, the abolition of slavery and free medical care for the poor, among other programs.—
Roy Scranton,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Griffin-Gracy is widely considered a founding mother of the LGBTQ+ liberation movement and a leader in the trans liberation movement.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
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The new streets’ names not only reflected the joy of liberation but also celebrated living in dignity, equality, and without fear—names invoking hope, humanity, and freedom.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Enfranchisement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfranchisement. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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