exceptionalism

noun

ex·cep·tion·al·ism ik-ˈsep-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm

: the condition of being different from the norm

also : a theory expounding the exceptionalism especially of a nation or region

exceptionalist

ik-ˈsep-sh(ə-)nə-list

adjective

Examples of exceptionalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Notwithstanding the oppressed worldviews of many animistic indigenous cultures, a steadfast belief in human exceptionalism has long hindered any meaningful consideration of interspecies democracy. —

Sam Firman, Longreads, 11 July 2024 Still, Hatfield argued that the corporate tax cuts have been the most important factor in the U.S.’s recent string of economic exceptionalism. —

Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 June 2024 This shared sense of exceptionalism was also the common factor in the country’s two otherwise contradictory foreign-policy traditions, as Henry Kissinger pointed out in 1994, at a moment of unipolar American primacy. —

Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 25 June 2024 The Present Is this the end of the myth of American exceptionalism? —

Big Think, 24 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for exceptionalism

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exceptionalism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of exceptionalism was in 1929

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Exceptionalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exceptionalism. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

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