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Definitions

affirmative action

[uh-fur-muh-tiv ak-shuhn] / əˈfɜr mə tɪv ˈæk ʃən /

NOUN

anti-discrimination program

Synonyms

WEAK

anti-discrimination equal opportunity equal rights policy even break fair hiring fair hiring practices fair shake fair treatment limited choice nondiscrimination positive discrimination quota system reverse discrimination

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While diversity programs have gone by a variety of names over the decades — nondiscrimination, affirmative action, DEI — they all trace their roots to the Civil Rights Movement, which lasted from 1954 to 1968.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

Sociologist and demographer Sonalde Desai told me that without a fresh caste census, India's affirmative action policies operate "blindly", relying on outdated colonial data.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

President Trump has issued at least three executive orders aimed at stopping racial discrimination, including affirmative action and disparate-impact analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

If embraced, a “status not race” approach could reopen space for policies that directly address the legacies of slavery without triggering the judicial hostility that doomed traditional affirmative action.

From Slate • Oct. 7, 2025

And this is not an argument that affirmative action has made no difference in the lives of poor or working-class African Americans—as some have claimed.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander