Sta·lin·ism
ˈstä-lə-ˌni-zəm 
ˈsta-
: the political, economic, and social principles and policies associated with Joseph Stalin
especially
: the theory and practice of communism developed by Stalin from Marxism-Leninism and marked especially by rigid authoritarianism, widespread use of terror, and often emphasis on Russian nationalism
plural -s
"
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of Stalinism or Stalinists
Stalinist communists
Examples of Stalinism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam Louis-Klein,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Until Hoxha's break with Nikita Khrushchev's USSR, after the abjuration of Stalinism, Sazan was in Soviet hands, a thorn in the side of the West, a base for 12 Whiskey-class submarines and of chemical-biological weapons plants.
—
Marzio G. Mian,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
The title comes from a miniature story by the Soviet writer Daniil Kharms, who wrote absurdist literature under Stalinism and suffered as a result.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
In these respects, apart from the harlequin excesses of his Stalinism, Cowley is terrifically sound.
—
Vince Passaro,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Medieval threat to democracy The rhetoric of absolving Stalinism goes hand in hand with popularizing the state’s version of the Russian Middle Ages through public media channels.
—
Dina Khapaeva,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2025
This critique involved not just intellectuals on the left, but also famous American realists who played a key part in rallying U.S. liberal opinion to resist Nazism and Stalinism.
—
Anatol Lieven,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
Again, Breaking With Trump Caroline Ellison, Star Witness in FTX Case, Should Receive Lenient Sentence, Prosecutors Signal
Trumpism, Stalinism and the Tariff Debate
An 8-Year-Old Ohio Girl Takes a Solo Drive to Target in Family’s SUV
Trump and Other Presidents Embrace Golf.
—
New York Times,
17 Sep. 2024
Orwell would spend the rest of his life trying to clarify that in his time the left meant both idealists committed to human rights, equality, and justice and supporters of a Stalinism that was the antithesis of all those things.
—
Rebecca Solnit
february 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2024
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Noun
Like Stalinism or the Khmer Rouge, anti-Zionism represents a wrong turn for the left.
—
Adam Louis-Klein,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Until Hoxha's break with Nikita Khrushchev's USSR, after the abjuration of Stalinism, Sazan was in Soviet hands, a thorn in the side of the West, a base for 12 Whiskey-class submarines and of chemical-biological weapons plants.
—
Marzio G. Mian,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
The title comes from a miniature story by the Soviet writer Daniil Kharms, who wrote absurdist literature under Stalinism and suffered as a result.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
In these respects, apart from the harlequin excesses of his Stalinism, Cowley is terrifically sound.
—
Vince Passaro,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Medieval threat to democracy The rhetoric of absolving Stalinism goes hand in hand with popularizing the state’s version of the Russian Middle Ages through public media channels.
—
Dina Khapaeva,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2025
This critique involved not just intellectuals on the left, but also famous American realists who played a key part in rallying U.S. liberal opinion to resist Nazism and Stalinism.
—
Anatol Lieven,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
Again, Breaking With Trump Caroline Ellison, Star Witness in FTX Case, Should Receive Lenient Sentence, Prosecutors Signal
Trumpism, Stalinism and the Tariff Debate
An 8-Year-Old Ohio Girl Takes a Solo Drive to Target in Family’s SUV
Trump and Other Presidents Embrace Golf.
—
New York Times,
17 Sep. 2024
Orwell would spend the rest of his life trying to clarify that in his time the left meant both idealists committed to human rights, equality, and justice and supporters of a Stalinism that was the antithesis of all those things.
—
Rebecca Solnit
february 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Stalinism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Stalinism. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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