What does apartheid mean?
Apartheid is a noun denoting a policy or system of strict racial segregation and discrimination, most famously the regime enforced in South Africa between 1948 and the early 1990s, under which the white minority government legally classified people by race and systematically restricted where non-white citizens could live, work, study, and vote. The term derives from Afrikaans, meaning 'apartness' or 'separateness,' and entered English during the mid-twentieth century as international attention focused on South Africa. Today, apartheid is used both to refer to that specific historical system and, more broadly, to describe any comparable structure of institutionalized racial or ethnic separation and oppression. Because of its history, the word carries heavy moral weight: calling something 'apartheid' is a serious accusation rather than a neutral description. It appears frequently in discussions of civil rights, international law — which recognizes apartheid as a crime against humanity — and the global anti-apartheid movement that helped bring about its end.
nounA policy or system of rigid racial segregation and discrimination, especially the one enforced in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. By extension, any institutionalized separation of people by race, ethnicity, or other group characteristics.
- The system of legalized racial segregation and white minority rule in South Africa (1948–early 1990s).
- Any comparable policy of institutionalized segregation or systematic oppression based on race or ethnicity, applied to other contexts.
"The dismantling of apartheid in South Africa culminated in the country's first fully democratic elections in 1994."
"Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison for his opposition to apartheid before becoming South Africa's first Black president."
"Some human rights organizations have accused certain states of practicing apartheid against minority populations."
Rarely used; 'apartheid' is usually treated as an uncountable noun. A plural may appear in academic or legal writing to refer to multiple distinct systems of segregation in different places or periods.
"Historians have compared various apartheids around the world to the South African model."
The word 'apartheid' is Afrikaans — literally 'apartness' — and it became so globally recognized that it's now enshrined in international law as a crime against humanity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apartheid
Apartheid comes directly from Afrikaans, in which it literally means 'apartness' or 'separateness,' formed from Dutch 'apart' ('separate') plus the suffix '-heid' ('-hood,' '-ness'). The Afrikaans word was adopted into English in the mid-twentieth century to name the official policy of racial segregation introduced by South Africa's National Party after 1948. Its underlying roots connect it to words like 'part,' 'partition,' and 'partial,' all tracing back through Latin 'pars' ('a part'). Unlike many borrowed terms, it has retained its original spelling and a pronunciation influenced by its Afrikaans source.
How apartheid is actually used
Apartheid carries strong negative connotations and is almost always used critically or historically. When applied outside its original South African context, the term is often politically charged and contested; writers should be aware that such extended uses can be controversial. The word is typically uncountable when referring to the historical system ('under apartheid') but can take a plural form when referring to multiple distinct systems.
Easily confused with apartheid
'Apart' is an adverb meaning separated by distance or time, while 'apartheid' is a noun naming a system of institutionalized racial segregation.