egalitarianism

noun

egal·​i·​tar·​i·​an·​ism i-ˌga-lə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce egalitarianism (audio)
1
: a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs
2
: a social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people

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The Roots of Egalitarianism

Egalitarianism comes to the English language from the French. We fashioned egalitarian from their égalitaire “egalitarian” (which comes from the Latin aequalitas “equality”), and then added our -ism to it. The word first appeared in English in the late 19th century; our current earliest citation is from 1874, in The Times of India: “Before the Revolution the officers of one regiment welcomed brother corps with champagne suppers, but egalitarianism has brought us down to punch at five francs the bowl. . . ." The word has seen a subtle shift in meaning. Its earliest use was typically in reference to a belief in human equality; it has since taken on the sense “a social philosophy that advocates the removal of inequality among people.”

Examples of egalitarianism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Just as the point of state neutrality is personal non-neutrality, the point of political egalitarianism is interpersonal disproportion. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024 Luttwak and Shamir argue that the debacle of 1973 reinforced the IDF’s culture of egalitarianism. Shashank Joshi, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 His sense of egalitarianism is testament to his cogent understanding of functions in a team – not everyone can be a sharpshooter, yet roles like cooks and mechanics are equally indispensable in the mechanics of overall mission success. Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 But also, there’s a kind of twisted egalitarianism to Larry’s bile. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024 The version of communism that would ultimately come to dominate would rely more on economic science than moral arguments for egalitarianism made by thinkers like Cabet. John Last, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023 That agrarian spirit of self-reliance mixed with egalitarianism still emanates from Pendergrass. Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023 Here was a grass-roots movement that was demanding not egalitarianism, but nativism; not solidarity, but discord. Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2023 But this tournament, the first with 32 teams, has been a rollicking display of egalitarianism. Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'egalitarianism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of egalitarianism was in 1874

Dictionary Entries Near egalitarianism

Cite this Entry

“Egalitarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egalitarianism. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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