diversity, equity and inclusion

noun

variants or less commonly diversity, equity, and inclusion

: a set of values and related policies and practices focused on establishing a group culture of equitable and inclusive treatment and on attracting and retaining a diverse group of participants, including people who have historically been excluded or discriminated against

Through our continued focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, we are increasing the number of female attorneys, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community in the leadership pipeline.—

Phillip G. Hampton, II, quoted in The Madison-St. Clair (Illinois) Record

… we strongly believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion and take many steps toward promoting this through mentoring, internship programs and ensuring equity in pay and opportunity …—

Jonathan Garcia, quoted in The San Antonio (Texas) Business Journal

This means we practice diversity, equity and inclusion in all we do. It includes investing in our people and creating a culture of care.—

Lisa Toppin

—often used before another noun

Virtually every university, government agency and major corporation has embraced some type of diversity, equity and inclusion policies … to ostensibly promote a more open, equitable and, well, inclusive workplace.—

Orange County (California) Register

The legal battle comes amid a string of attacks against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in corporate America, schools and higher education in recent months.—

Niquel Terry Ellis

—abbreviation DEI

: the state of having a diverse group of participants as well as policies and norms that are equitable and inclusive

Whether within a company or in the community, achieving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a journey and a job that is far from done.—

David M. Velazquez and Laron Evans

—abbreviation DEI

Examples of diversity, equity and inclusion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Dismayed by tedious, mandatory and frequently counterproductive diversity, equity and inclusion seminars that treat white skin as almost inherently problematic? —

Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024 Companies are bracing for blowback related to policies around diversity, equity and inclusion and are hoping to avoid alienating customers who may deem the brands too woke – or not woke enough. —

Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024 Also during Vance's Rogan interview, falsely claimed that people become transgender or gender nonbinary to reject their white privilege and participate in diversity, equity and inclusion programs to get into Ivy League colleges. —

Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024 Boeing has dismantled its global diversity, equity and inclusion department, Bloomberg news reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. —

Reuters, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024 The latter maintained a tombstone page that disappeared in 2024, but issues directives on the likes of accessibility and diversity, equity and inclusion. —

Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 But Cao has made waves attempting to break the blue stranglehold, taking swipes at the Democratic positions on diversity, equity and inclusion and promoting Trump’s agenda, including tariffs, in a state with overwhelmingly strong Republican districts. —

USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024 Sierra Club California’s new acting director Bobbi Jo Chavarria must manage these long-running disputes and forge consensus on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, Seidman reports. —

Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024 Prior to joining the school, Dockery held several key positions with the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) including the director of accessibility and a diversity, equity and inclusion lead. —

Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2001, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of diversity, equity and inclusion was in 2001

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near diversity, equity and inclusion

diversity

diversity, equity and inclusion

diversity factor

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Style

“Diversity, equity and inclusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity%2C%20equity%20and%20inclusion. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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