communitarian

adjective

com·​mu·​ni·​tar·​i·​an kə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce communitarian (audio)
: of or relating to social organization in small cooperative partially collectivist communities
communitarian noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The choice seems to be made in particular by individuals affiliated with strongly communitarian religious groups. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2010 American culture has always been at once strongly libertarian, individualist and pluralist, yet also strongly communitarian, moralist and religious. Christopher Demuth, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2022 This benign and even communitarian version of slave culture was by no means confined to historians born and bred in the South. Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022 The communitarian ideals of radical women’s groups faded from public memory, and feminism was glossed as a movement for female careers. Elaine Blair, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022 In this light, the Puritans should be seen as astute progenitors of a generous and communitarian strain of American politics—one that is sorely needed today. Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022 Goldin, an economist, documents but offers no prescription, while journalist Jaffe’s final chapter points us toward a more communitarian system in which our love is not co-opted by capitalism and where all have leisure time. Hanna Hart, Forbes, 2 June 2022 After all, in the crisis of a pandemic, answers can only be found expeditiously if people -- be it for selfish or communitarian reasons -- are willing to roll up their sleeves and contribute to the public good. Kent Sepkowitz, CNN, 3 Apr. 2022 The dynamic, communitarian version shut down in 2009, part of an effort by Berkeley to formalize the center and comply with federal regulations. Isabella Cueto, STAT, 28 Mar. 2022 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of communitarian was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near communitarian

Cite this Entry

“Communitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communitarian. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.

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