constitutionalism

noun

con·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al·​ism ˌkän(t)-stə-ˈtü-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm 

-tyü-

: adherence to or government according to constitutional principles

also : a constitutional system of government

constitutionalist

ˌkän(t)-stə-ˈtü-sh(ə-)nə-list 

-tyü-

noun

Examples of constitutionalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a real, consistent history and commitment to constitutionalism and desire for democracy in Iran that didn’t necessarily exist in Iraq or Afghanistan, but building institutions and creating consensus and identifying leaders is a very, very hard job. —ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026

The letter codified the idea that the modern West—defined by liberalism, constitutionalism, and multi-party democracy—could be separated, conceptually, from the ancient West, as represented by Greece and Rome. —Chang Che, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026

So the same establishment that had once helped push a Qajar shah toward constitutionalism helped pull a Pahlavi shah back from exile and back into absolutism. —Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026

Congress’s constitutionalism carries advantages over the Court’s. —Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for constitutionalism

• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism
• anticommunism
• antisemitism
• antiterrorism
• bioterrorism
• colloquialism
• colonialism
• consequentialism
• contextualism
• conventionalism