apartheid

noun

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
  1. segregation
  2. discrimination
Noun
  • That was the case in the United States during the legal segregation of African Americans in the South—some police officers were members of violent white supremacist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Defense attorneys described their confinement as effectively punitive segregation even though the brothers had not committed disciplinary violations.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of segregation
Noun
  • But administrative burdens are a technology of annoyance, degradation, discrimination, and needless extraction.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The office was looking for someone who has done work for the city and who may have been the victim of discrimination.
    — Jack Harvel August 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of discrimination
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

apart from
apartheid
apartment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apartheid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apartheid. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on apartheid

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about 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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All