anarchism

noun an·ar·chism \ ˈa-nər-ˌki-zəm , -ˌnär- \

|Updated on: 31 May 2018

Definition of anarchism

1 : a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups

2 : the advocacy or practice of anarchistic principles

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Recent Examples of anarchism from the Web

William Godwin, her father, founded philosophical anarchism; Mary Wollstonecraft, her mother, was an early feminist who wrote The Vindication of the Rights of Women.

— refinery29.com, "The True Story Behind Mary Shelley Is Actual 19th Century Rock & Roll," 24 May 2018
William Godwin, an early advocate of anarchism, survived a great deal longer.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Poor Mary Shelley!," 23 May 2018
The murder mystery becomes entangled, at times awkwardly, with larger social issues like unionism, anarchism and the women’s suffrage movement.

— marilyn stasio, New York Times, "A Politician With Real Killer Instincts," 4 May 2018
Le Guin was a feminist and an environmentalist with deep interests in anarchism and taoism.

— lincoln michel, GQ, "Ursula K. Le Guin Was Our Greatest Science Fiction Writer," 25 Jan. 2018
Then, as now, the threats of anarchism and terrorism fuelled anti-immigrant feeling.

— The Economist, "Restless soulJoseph Conrad, the first novelist of globalisation," 2 Nov. 2017
Many are involved in other causes, such as socialism or anarchism.

— cameron mcwhirter, WSJ, "How Antifa Violence Has Split the Left," 19 Sep. 2017
Despite the branding, Ballad is perhaps best described as a book-length explanation of how the famous prisoner Serge came to serve his first sentence: anarchism.

— malcolm harris, New Republic, "The Crime Wave that Gave Anarchists a Bad Name," 24 Oct. 2017
And if Dom’s failed mission to take down the real force behind the 5/9 hack is disappointing, the aftermath for the idealistic anarchism of fsociety has been nightmarish.

— scott meslow, GQ, "Mr. Robot Knew in 2016 What America Would Be Like in 2017," 10 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anarchism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.