Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Whiggish

adjective
Whig·gish | \ˈhwi-gish, ˈwi-\

Definition of Whiggish 

1 : characteristic of Whigs or Whiggery

2 : of, relating to, or characterized by a view which holds that history follows a path of inevitable progression and improvement and which judges the past in light of the present

First Known Use of Whiggish

1684, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Whiggish

Dictionary Entries near Whiggish

Whiggamore

Whiggery

whiggify

Whiggish

whiggishly

Whigling

whigmaleerie

Statistics for Whiggish

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for Whiggish

The first known use of Whiggish was in 1684

See more words from the same year

More from Merriam-Webster on Whiggish

See words that rhyme with Whiggish

Comments on Whiggish

What made you want to look up Whiggish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

superjacent

lying above or upon

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz

  • the-triumph-of-venus-by-alessandro-magnasco
  • Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games