tokenism
noun
to·ken·ism
ˈtō-kə-ˌni-zəm 
: the policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort (as to desegregate)
Examples of tokenism in a Sentence
Did the company choose her for her merits, or merely as an act of tokenism?
Recent Examples on the Web
Boniadi talked about the importance of representation, but also the dangers of tokenism.
—
Chantelle Lee, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
As the accusations begin to fly, Fola — who is Chinese American and identifies as nonbinary — calls Healy out for displaying tokenism, while Healy fires back that Fola is being unnecessarily combative.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
A lot of tokenism and things like that still happen.
—Elissa Suh, Vogue, 21 Jan. 2025
Leah describes 'tokenism' as the act of hiring one woman, often paid less than her counterparts, to give the appearance of diversity without fostering genuine inclusion.
—Nadia Edwards-Dashti, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tokenism
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Chantelle Lee, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
As the accusations begin to fly, Fola — who is Chinese American and identifies as nonbinary — calls Healy out for displaying tokenism, while Healy fires back that Fola is being unnecessarily combative.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
A lot of tokenism and things like that still happen.
—Elissa Suh, Vogue, 21 Jan. 2025
Leah describes 'tokenism' as the act of hiring one woman, often paid less than her counterparts, to give the appearance of diversity without fostering genuine inclusion.
—Nadia Edwards-Dashti, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tokenism
Cite this Entry
“Tokenism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tokenism. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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