restrictionism

noun

re·​stric·​tion·​ism ri-ˈstrik-shə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce restrictionism (audio)
: a policy or philosophy favoring restriction (as of trade or immigration)
restrictionist adjective or noun

Examples of restrictionism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Populists mostly support the policy changes that Donald Trump brought about in the Republican Party — in favor of a more aggressive stance in the culture war, immigration restrictionism, a corporatist turn in economics, and antitrust actions against tech companies. Damon Linker, The Week, 13 July 2021 After all the shouting, the reflexive restrictionism of the Trump era has become the default—and Biden, at least, doesn’t want to go back. Felipe De La Hoz, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2023 Views on immigration may appear poles apart, but in truth, Democrats and Republicans alike set artificial limits on immigration based on a sliding scale of restrictionism. Tanvi Misra, The New Republic, 7 Oct. 2021 Brimelow's book landed just as immigration politics was taking a hard turn toward restrictionism. Nicole Hemmer, CNN, 15 Apr. 2021 Once a lonely cause, restrictionism had grown into a mature movement — an intellectual ecosystem of sorts — with groups specializing in areas as diverse as litigation and voter mobilization. Jason Deparle, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2019 For decades, conventional wisdom held that immigration restrictionism was a political loser. Jason L. Riley, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2019 On the right, the American Conservative — usually sympathetic to immigration restrictionism — ran an op-ed from a scholar at the Cato Institute, which does not share those views. Dara Lind, Vox, 23 July 2018 Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross are steering him toward a trade war; Stephen Miller, John Kelly, and Jeff Sessions have encouraged his immigration restrictionism. Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, 8 July 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'restrictionism.' 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

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of restrictionism was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near restrictionism

Cite this Entry

“Restrictionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restrictionism. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!