affirmative action
Americannoun
noun
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Affirmative action has been extremely controversial. Supporters maintain that it is the only way to overcome the effects of past discrimination and promote integration. Critics dismiss it as “reverse discrimination,” denying opportunities to qualified whites and men. (See Bakke decision).
Other Word Forms
- affirmative-action adjective
Etymology
Origin of affirmative action
First recorded in 1960–65
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.
Mr. Steele supports affirmative action as “a form of reconciliation with our dominant racial, ethnic, and gender order” and is “saddened by the tenor of the present moment.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
“He needed to focus his energy on the civil rights initiative, and affirmative action was a much bigger deal,” said Haru.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026
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Desai told me that without a fresh caste census, India's affirmative action policies operate "blindly", relying on outdated colonial data.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
The attention of civil rights advocates has been largely devoted to other issues, such as affirmative action.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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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.