apartheid

[uh-pahr-tahyt, -teyt]

noun

1. (in the Republic of South Africa) a rigid former policy of segregating and economically and politically oppressing the nonwhite population.

2. any system or practice that separates people according to color, ethnicity, caste, etc.

apartheid

/ əˈpɑːthaɪt, -heɪt /

noun

1. (in South Africa) the official government policy of racial segregation; officially renounced in 1992

apartheid

1. The racist policy (see racism) of South Africa that long denied blacks and other nonwhites civic, social, and economic equality with whites. It was dismantled during the 1990s. (See Nelson Mandela.)

Other Word Forms

• antiapartheid noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of apartheid¹

First recorded in 1945–50; from Afrikaans apart apart + -heid -hood

Word History and Origins

Origin of apartheid¹

C20: Afrikaans, from apart _apart + -heid _-hood

Example Sentences

A number of international human rights groups have concluded that Israel is already operating an apartheid system in the West Bank - a characterisation that the Israeli government has rejected.

From BBC

Her acting career began in the 1970s at the height of the apartheid era, when the state legally enforced racial segregation.

From BBC

She has published online commentary accusing Israel of committing genocide and perpetuating apartheid, according to the lawsuit.

From Los Angeles Times

Such tension is especially rife in rural areas, despite the end of the racist system of apartheid more than 30 years ago.

From BBC

Adra says Levi “fires the bullet that took” Hathaleen’s life, adding in his caption that “the apartheid court decided to release him to house arrest.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• discrimination 
• racism 

When To Use

What is Apartheid?

Apartheid refers to the system of racist segregation and political and economic oppression enacted and upheld by white people in South Africa to deny Black and other nonwhite people equal rights.Apartheid became the official policy of South Africa in 1948 (though racist segregation policies had been employed before that). It was officially in place until the early 1990s, when it was begun to be dismantled after decades of resistance from Black and other nonwhite South Africans—notably Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko, among many others—and sanctions and pressure from the international community.Apartheid, spelled with a capital A, is most commonly used to refer specifically to South African Apartheid. The lowercase form, apartheid, is used in a more general way to refer to any system that segregates people based on certain characteristics, such as skin color, ethnicity, or caste.