Meanings
- uncountablepublic policyethicsThe discrimination against members of a historically dominant or majority group, often in favor of minorities or disadvantaged groups, typically arising from affirmative action or equity policies aimed at remedying a past injustice.
In one instance, Title VII authorizes reverse discrimination. The act gives employers ranging from Minnesota wild-rice farmers to New Mexico electronics manufacturers the option of hiring only American Indians.
1965 July 9, “Statutes: Sex & VII”, in Time1 more example
Alan Bakke at the University of California At Davis Medical School, Karen Hopwood at the law school of the University of Texas, and Jennifer Gratz at the University of Michigan all have argued successfully in court that they were the victims of reverse discrimination because blacks were given preferential treatment in the admissions process at these schools.
2002, “Why Affirmative Action Does Little Harm to White Students”, in The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, number 36, page 21Synonyms: counterdiscrimination, positive discrimination
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe discrimination against members of a historically dominant or majority group, often in favor of minorities or disadvantaged groups, typically arising from affirmative action or equity policies aimed at remedying a past injustice.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 逆向歧視 /逆向歧视
- 逆向歧視 /逆向歧视 (nìxiàng qíshì)advantaging minority groups who have traditionally been discriminated
Dutch positieve discriminatie
- positieve discriminatieadvantaging minority groups who have traditionally been discriminated
Finnish käänteinen syrjintä, positiivinen syrjintä
- käänteinen syrjintäadvantaging minority groups who have traditionally been discriminated
- positiivinen syrjintäadvantaging minority groups who have traditionally been discriminated
French discrimination positive
- discrimination positiveadvantaging minority groups who have traditionally been discriminated
Cite this entry
reverse discrimination. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reverse%20discrimination
“reverse discrimination.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reverse%20discrimination. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “reverse discrimination,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reverse%20discrimination.
Source: reverse discrimination on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.