equal opportunity

American  

noun

1. the aggregation of policies and practices in employment and other areas that do not discriminate against people on the basis of race, skin color, age, sex, gender, national origin, religion, or mental or physical disability.

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equal opportunity British  

noun

1. 1. the offering of employment, pay, or promotion equally to all, without discrimination as to sex, race, colour, disability, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      our equal-opportunity policy

      an equal-opportunities employer

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equal opportunity Cultural  

1. The goal of giving all persons an equal chance to an education and employment, and to protect their civil rights, regardless of their race, religious beliefs, or gender. In the United States, various minority groups have been fighting for equal opportunity over the last 150 years. (See affirmative action, civil rights movement, equal protection of the laws, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Organization for Women, segregation, sexism, suffragist, and women's movement.)

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Other Word Forms

• equal-opportunity adjective

Example Sentences

This often comes up as an issue when it comes to selling advertising time—they can’t just sell advertising time to one side without offering an equal opportunity to the other.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

It was the first executive civil-rights directive since Reconstruction, and the first federal act to promote equal opportunity in the workplace and prohibit employment discrimination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

"All I have ever wanted is the chance to serve safely and freely with equal opportunity as an MP."

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2025

In an August 7 press appearance, Ellison had nothing but praise for “South Park,” telling CNN, “Matt and Trey are incredibly talented. They are equal opportunity offenders and always have been.”

From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025

The regimental engineer of the 46th Guards, Klavdiya Ilushina, insisted that they had “absolute equal opportunity with men.”

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• civil rights
• coordination
• fairness
• identity
• impartiality
• parity
• tolerance