apartheid

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apartheid

/əˈpɑːtheɪt/
/əˈpɑːthaɪt/
/əˈpɑɹtheɪt/
/əˈpɑɹthaɪt/
/əˈpɑɹ.taɪd/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Afrikaans apartheid (literally “separateness, apartness”) (1929 in a South African socio-political context), from Afrikaans apart (“separate”) + suffix -heid, cognate of English -hood.

noun apartheids

South Africa, countable, historical, uncountable The policy of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. She don't care about the rest at all / She's got a system they call apartheid / It keeps a brother in a subjection
Similar: plural relations
broadly, countable, uncountable Any similar policy of racial segregation or separation and discrimination, particularly when in favor of a minority rule. The 1973 Apartheid Convention conferred universal jurisdiction to the state signatories to prosecute those who commit apartheid.
broadly, countable, uncountable A policy or situation of segregation based on some specified attribute. Fifteen minutes drive to the Brown Trout was guaranteed to satisfy my appetite because there, as with other clubs and hotel bars, a form of sex apartheid was practised. The males assembled in the region of the bar and the opposite gender either sat discreetly detached or strayed outside to gossip ga

verb apartheids · apartheiding · apartheided

transitive To impose a policy of segregation of groups of people, especially one based on race. Yes, apartheiding the apartheiders, is what the rest of the world is doing.

Opposite: antiapartheid

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: racial segregation, racist, racial, racism, segregation, quarantine, confinement, barrier, isolating, interposition, separating, sequestration, discrimination, segregated, remedial, isolation

verb

Opposite: antiapartheid

Translations

Every language

verb policy of racial separation in South Africa

Español	apartheid
한국어	아파르트헤이트 apareuteuheiteu
日本語	アパルトヘイド aparutoheido, アパルトヘイト aparutoheito
中文	種族隔離 /种族隔离 zhǒngzú gélí
Português	apartheid
Français	apartheid
Deutsch	Apartheid
Italiano	apartheid
Ελληνικά	απαρτχάιντ apartcháint
Русский	апартеи́д apartɛíd
العربية	أَپَارْتْهِيد ʔapārthīd, فَصْلٌ عُنْصُرِيّ faṣlun ʕunṣuriyy
עברית	אַפַּרְטְהַיְד \ אפרטהייד

verb any policy of racial separation — see also segregation

Español	apartheid
中文	種族隔離 /种族隔离 zhǒngzú gélí
Português	apartheid
Deutsch	Apartheid
Italiano	apartheid
Ελληνικά	απαρτχάιντ apartcháint
Русский	апартеи́д apartɛíd
العربية	فَصْل عُنْصُرِيّ faṣl ʕunṣuriyy
עברית	הפרדה hafrada

verb a policy or situation of separation based on some specified attribute — see also segregation

Deutsch	Apartheid
Ελληνικά	απαρτχάιντ apartcháint
עברית	הפרדה hafrada

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MLA

"apartheid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/apartheid. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

apartheid. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/apartheid

Chicago

"apartheid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/apartheid.

BibTeX

@misc{apartheid_2026,
  title = {apartheid},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/apartheid},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}