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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

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 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

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

As much as I believed that Negro people should have an equal opportunity to participate in American society, there were realities to deal with.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

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