desegregation
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of desegregation
First recorded in 1950–55; de- + segregation
Explanation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of different racial, religious, or cultural groups. A major goal of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century was desegregation. When you segregate one group of people, you deliberately keep them separate or apart from others. During much of America's history, there has been a policy of segregating African Americans in society — at various times, segregation has existed in the military, housing, jobs, education, and many other areas. Desegregation has attempted to remove this division and to integrate people of all races into the general community. The Latin root is segregatus, "set apart," or "separate from the flock."
Vocabulary lists containing desegregation
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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.
Supreme Court, under Chief Justice Earl Warren, began insisting on the enforcement of the desegregation mandate of Brown v.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
In 1960, he was arrested with seven other students after a silent demonstration in a whites-only public library, which led to the desegregation of the library.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
Holmes ruling, which ordered the immediate desegregation of Southern schools.
From Salon • Aug. 18, 2025
And this provision applies to a bunch of long-standing injunctions that have been in effect for years, including desegregation orders in the South.
From Slate • May 24, 2025
The legislature approved his plan shifting responsibility for desegregation from the state to local school boards.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
