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

And the VRA requires that racial minorities be given an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.

From Slate • May 26, 2026

Rice, no protofeminist, was an equal opportunity misanthrope in “The Adding Machine.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

He added that it could help give "equal opportunity to those who are less fortunate and that the centre can plug that gap for disadvantaged children".

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

It also guarantees that minorities have an equal opportunity “to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

The act, in effect, abolished poll taxes, literacy tests and other barriers to equal opportunity at the ballot box.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

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