desegregation

American  

[dee-seg-ri-gey-shuhn, dee-seg-] / ˌdi sɛg rɪˈgeɪ ʃən, diˌsɛg- /

noun

1. the elimination of laws, customs, or practices under which people from different religions, ancestries, ethnic groups, etc., are restricted to specific or separate public facilities, neighborhoods, schools, organizations, or the like.

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Other Word Forms

• antidesegregation adjective
• desegregationist noun

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."

Example Sentences

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

White enrollment was 55% in 1963 — when the first school desegregation suit was filed — and 37% white in 1976 as the busing dispute peaked.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 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

In addition to Cheney and Thompson, 18 other honorees were recognized at the Thursday ceremony, including a military doctor who improved battlefield trauma care and a civil rights leader who fought for desegregation.

From Salon • Jan. 3, 2025

Thanks to desegregation, football was blacks’ claim to fame in Odessa, the thing they were known for, and there was no better proof than the Wall of Fame.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• assimilation