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segregated

American  
[seg-ri-gey-tid] / ˈsɛg rɪˌgeɪ tɪd /

adjective

  1. characterized by or practicing racial segregation.

    a segregated school system.

  2. restricted to one group, especially exclusively on the basis of racial or ethnic membership.

    segregated neighborhoods.

  3. maintaining separate facilities for members of different, especially racially different, groups.

    segregated education.

  4. discriminating against a group, especially on the basis of race.

    a segregated economy.

  5. set apart.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of segregated

First recorded in 1645–55; segregate + -ed 2

Explanation

Segregated means separated. Some people think it’s a good idea to keep boys and girls segregated — or separated from each other — at school. Others believe that boys and girls should learn in the same classrooms. One person can be segregated from a group, as when a sick person is kept in isolation so others don’t become infected. Whole groups of people can also be segregated from each other. Since the late 1800s, segregated has been used in reference to the forced exclusion of African Americans from places where only whites were allowed, including schools, movie theaters, and train cars. The Latin root is segregare, "separated from the flock."

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Vocabulary lists containing segregated

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.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. forces retreated inside fenced-off hubs, a process that has segregated them from local communities in the decades since.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

Refiners have to follow very precise sets of specifications for jet fuel, and also have to make sure the product is completely segregated from other derivatives and adequately stored.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

"Sinners," the tale of gangster twins returning home to a supernatural and segregated Deep South in the 1930s, has already made Academy Awards history with its whopping 16 nominations.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

He had pulled a thread attached to a flat, rectangular piece of waffle-like material segregated into dozens of wonky-looking square tiles.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Alabama’s public schools and facilities remained strictly segregated.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

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