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

Several decades of populism, progressivism, and reaction led to the emergence of a new order with the New Deal. —George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026

These days, Turcios’s politics encompass economic populism, America First nationalism, and religious authoritarianism. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026

Large income, wealth, and values gaps within countries that lead to the rise of populism of the right and populism of the left and irreconcilable differences that can’t be resolved with compromises and rule of law. —Ray Dalio, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026

Any suggestion of a cohesive, equitable tax policy in Florida has been shredded by petty partisanship, deceitful tactics and fake populism. —Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026

Turnage represented a wave of younger Democrats challenging long-serving incumbents, emphasizing economic populism and the need to regulate Big Tech and artificial intelligence. —Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026

The party’s flirtation with economic populism could serve to push away some of the remaining conservative doctors operating private practices. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026

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

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