populism

noun

pop·​u·​lism ˈpä-pyə-ˌli-zəm 

plural populisms

1

: a political philosophy or movement that represents or is claimed to represent the interests of ordinary people especially against the Establishment (see establishment sense 2a)

Populism usually arises from a general discontent. … People feel that things are out of control, socially and economically. … The idea that this is the fault of the meritocratic elite is an easy sell.

—Nicholas Lemann

… anti-government populism is beginning to give way to the more classic, anti-corporate populism …

—Leslie Savan

… Elizabeth Warren summoned the familiar and fiery spirits of Democratic populism. "Our job is to fight for the families of America," the Massachusetts Senator yelled over applause. … "Stitch up the tax loopholes so that millionaires and billionaires pay at the same tax rate as the people in this room."

—Jay Newton-Small

There are few things more terrifying than demagogic populism, sharpened dangerously into authoritarian rule, with minorities left at the mercy of those now in charge of writing and enforcing the laws.

—George Takei

The move comes amid a rise in economic populism in the GOP, Republican strategist John Feehery told the Washington Examiner. Even as the party writ large is generally supportive of the business community, an insurgent crop of Republican lawmakers is pursuing a more working-class-friendly agenda …

—Samantha-Jo Roth

sometimes, specifically : the political and economic doctrines advocated by the Populists (see populist entry 1 sense 1b)

… the nativist populism of the 1890s, the political and social movement of poor and dispossessed farmers who saw the source of their plight as the controllers of money and the rule of gold …

—Daniel Bell

2

: general concern for ordinary people

… a profile of James Brown in Look, in February of 1969. The article celebrated Mr. Brown's business empire … and his populism (traveling a hundred thousand miles a year to reach three million fans where they lived; capping ticket prices at five dollars for adults and ninety-nine cents for children under twelve) …

—Philip Gourevitch

Examples of populism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Without Reagan, the Reaganite coalition began to dissolve in the face of Buchanan’s angry populism and Gingrich’s cold opportunism. —Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026

Fishback’s rhetoric couches religious bigotry in the language of economic populism. —Steven Burg, Sun Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2026

This exercise is clouded by the fact that, in 1992, another brand of economic populism played an important role in Bill Clinton’s successful Presidential bid. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026

Some would call this bending to populism. —Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2026

With states facing potential cuts in federal aid and Democrat lawmakers emboldened by rising populism and a growing economic divide, legislators and governors in many blue states are preparing a range of new taxes on the wealthy. —Robert Frank, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026

Communities once firmly Democratic have become more open to conservative populism, including among working-class and minority voters attracted to messages of economic renewal. —Ilia Murtazashvili, Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2026

Carney said in a time of rising populism and ethnic nationalism, Canada can show how diversity is a strength, not a weakness. —Rob Gillies, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026

For decades, Fidel Castro ruled Cubans with a combination of repression, propaganda and populism. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from popul(ist) entry 1 + -ism

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for populism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism