# apartheid

/əˈpɑɹˌtaɪd/ (US) · /ɐpˈɑːθeɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/apartheid
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. South African history

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the official system in South Africa from 1948 to 1994 that kept white and non-white people separate.

For teachers: the former official policy of racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-white South Africans.

- Nelson Mandela spent many years in prison for his fight against apartheid.
- The transition to democracy in the early 1990s marked the formal end of apartheid, though its economic legacy persists in South African society.

Usage: Usually used as an uncountable noun without an article.

Teaching tip: While the word is Afrikaans for 'apartness', it is treated as a loanword in English and is almost always used in a political or historical context.

### 3. to segregate

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

to force a system of separation on a group of people.

For teachers: to impose a policy of segregation upon a population, typically based on racial or ethnic lines.

- The regime attempted to apartheid the population by creating separate living zones.
- The colonial administration sought to apartheid the various ethnic groups to prevent a unified resistance from forming.

Usage: This is a transitive verb, though it is much less common than the noun form.

Teaching tip: The verb form is rare; students should generally stick to the noun or use 'segregate' as a verb instead.

## Examples

- The country finally ended apartheid in the early 1990s.
- Nelson Mandela spent decades in prison for his fight against the laws of apartheid.
- The dismantling of apartheid required not only the repeal of discriminatory laws but also a fundamental restructuring of the nation's social and economic institutions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.