noun
- Plural of apartheid; systems of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination, or instances of such systems.
Usage: Typically refers to historical or contemporary policies of racial separation; Most commonly associated with South African apartheid (1948–1994); Can be used metaphorically to describe other forms of systematic segregation
Examples
- The apartheids of the twentieth century caused immense human suffering.
- Historians study various apartheids to understand how societies institutionalize discrimination.
- South Africa's apartheid system was one of the most notorious apartheids in modern history.
- International sanctions were imposed to oppose the apartheids in place.
- The dismantling of apartheids required sustained political and social pressure.
- Some scholars draw parallels between historical apartheids and contemporary segregation patterns.