Meanings
plural diversity hires
- derogatoryA person who is hired based on their protected class status, rather than their merits or job qualifications.
When Joe Biden announced he'd pick a woman of color as his running mate, he thought he was being progressive. Instead, he walked right into a DEI trap, gift-wrapping ammunition for every critic ready to dismiss Kamala Harris as a "diversity hire."
2024 July 29, Susan Harmeling, “The ‘DEI Hire’ Trap: How Biden Turned His VP Pick Into Fodder For Critics”, in ForbesSynonyms: DEI hire
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who is hired based on their protected class status, rather than their merits or job qualifications.
Cite this entry
diversity hire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diversity%20hire
“diversity hire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diversity%20hire. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diversity hire,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diversity%20hire.
Source: diversity hire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.