anarchism

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

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

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
In one brawl involving dozens of people, protestors waving Confederate flags clashed with opposition marchers carrying black-and-red flags, which commonly represent anti-fascist anarchism.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "One Dead in Charlottesvillle Car Attack During a White Nationalist Rally," 12 Aug. 2017
As a young man, he’d been attracted to political anarchism, especially as embodied in the work of Gustav Landauer, a leading German-Jewish theorist of the movement.

— george prochnik, The New Yorker, "A Guide to Religious Anarchy: Gershom Scholem’s Kabbalah," 14 Mar. 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.

First Known Use of anarchism

1642

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

ANARCHISM Defined for English Language Learners

anarchism

noun

Definition of anarchism for English Language Learners

: a belief that government and laws are not necessary

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See words that rhyme with anarchism Spanish Central: Translation of anarchism Nglish: Translation of anarchism for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of anarchism for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anarchism

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anarchism

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