noun
apartheid
uh-PAHT-hayt
noun
1
The system of racial segregation enforced by law in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s.
"Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid."
2
Any similar policy that legally separates or discriminates against a group based on a shared trait.
"Critics accused the regime of practicing a form of economic apartheid."
How to Use Apartheid
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA legally enforced system of racial segregation, most famously in 20th-century South Africa.
When to use it
A historically loaded term — using it outside the South African context (e.g., "gender apartheid") is a strong rhetorical comparison, not a neutral description.
Word Forms
apartheided past tense, apartheids plural, apartheids singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “apartheid”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing _____.
Etymology
Borrowed directly from Afrikaans apartheid, meaning "separateness," from apart ("separate") plus a suffix matching English "-hood."