abolitionism

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion·​ism ˌa-bə-ˈli-shə-ˌni-zəm 

: principles or measures promoting the abolition especially of slavery

among the New Englanders committed to abolitionism

Examples of abolitionism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During the 1840s and 1850s, many of the great American social movements, including abolitionism, feminism, and reform-minded Christianity, took root and blossomed in this unlikely soil. —Beverly Gage, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026

Though the United States was still a toddler on the world stage, abolitionism, the industrial revolution, the concept of manifest destiny and the stirrings of the American Civil War loomed over an increasingly divided nation. —Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 14 Mar. 2026

The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act helped shatter this consensus and brought abolitionism far closer to the mainstream. —Stephen Mihm, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026

The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act helped shatter this consensus and brought abolitionism far closer to the mainstream. —Stephen Mihm, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

abolition + -ism

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abolitionism

• absolutism
• adventurism
• aestheticism
• africanism
• agnosticism
• alcoholism
• anabolism
• anachronism
• anglicanism
• antagonism
• arianism
• asceticism