fascism

noun

fas·​cism ˈfa-ˌshi-zəm 

 also  ˈfa-ˌsi-

plural fascisms

1

often Fascism : a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition

At the core of fascism is loyalty to tribe, ethnic identity, religion, tradition, or, in a word, nation.

—Jason Stanley

There are differences between Italian Fascism, German Nazism, and their various nationalist descendants.

—Josh Jones

broadly : a philosophy or system with some combination of fascist values and governing structures

Take away colonialism and you still have … Balkan fascism …

—Umberto Eco

2

: a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control

The early instances of army fascism and brutality are typical …

—Jason Watson Aldridge

Call it "soft fascism": a political system that aims to stamp out dissent and seize control of every major aspect of a country's political and social life, without needing to resort to "hard" measures like banning elections …

—Zach Beauchamp

—often used informally in an exaggerated way

Like the city's ban on the use of trans fats and draconian restrictions on smoking, the new soda regulations are … yet another installment of what Jonah Goldberg rightly termed "liberal fascism."

—Jonathan S. Tobin

fascist

ˈfa-shist 

 also  -sist

noun

or Fascist

plural fascists or Fascists

fascist adjective

or Fascist

fascistic

fa-ˈshi-stik 

 also  -ˈsi-

adjective

or less commonly Fascistic

fascistically

fa-ˈshi-sti-k(ə-)lē 

 also  -ˈsi-

adverb

or less commonly Fascistically

Did you know?

The Italian Origin of Fascism

The words fascism and fascist have long been associated with the Fascisti of Benito Mussolini and the fasces, the bundle of rods with an ax among them, which the Fascisti used as a symbol of the Italian people united and obedient to the single authority of the state. However, Mussolini did not introduce the word fascista (plural fascisti) with the 1919 organization of the Fasci di combattimento (“combat groups”), nor did the fasces have any direct connection with the origin of fascista. In Italian, the word fascio (plural fasci) means literally “bundle,” and figuratively “group.” From at least 1872 fascio was used in the names of labor and agrarian unions, and in October 1914 a political coalition was formed called the Fascio rivoluzionario d’ azione internazionalista (“revolutionary group for international action”), which advocated Italian participation in World War I on the side of the Allies. Members of this group were first called fascisti in January 1915. Although Mussolini was closely associated with this interventionist movement, it had no direct link with the post-war Fasci di combattimento, and in 1919 the word fascista was already in political circulation. It is, however, to the Fascisti in their 1919 incarnation—who seized power in Italy three years later—that we owe the current customary meanings of our words fascism and fascist.

Examples of fascism in a Sentence

From the first hours of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, the propagandists on both sides of the conflict portrayed the struggle in stark, Manichaean language. The totalitarian nature of both regimes made this inevitable. On one side stood Hitler, fascism, the myth of German supremacy; on the other side stood Stalin, communism, and the international proletarian revolution. —Anne Applebaum, New York Review of Books, 25 Oct. 2007

Consider what happened during the crisis of global fascism. At first, even the truth about Hitler was inconvenient. Many in the west hoped the danger would simply go away. —Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006

He collected stories about groups similar to his—Aryans, other Nazis, the KKK. Lately, he'd been flagging many stories from Germany and Eastern Europe, and was quite thrilled with the rise of fascism there. —John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995

the rise of Fascism in Europe before World War II

Recent Examples on the Web

Leading scholars, including historians of fascism, keep making alarming comparisons between WW2 and the present. —Chris Doyle, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2025

The bottom line: The recent arrests and lack of due process in other cases have some experts worried about the nation's trend toward fascism and authoritarianism under Trump, writes Axios' Russell Contreras and Steph Solis. —Esteban L. Hernandez, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025

Stanley is an expert on fascism and the author of several books on the topic, including Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future. —Destinee Adams, NPR, 1 Apr. 2025

So are modern democracies – and in many places, the modern trend leans toward nationalism, fascism and censorship. —Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, fasces, group, from Latin fascis bundle & fasces fasces

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fascism

• ism
• pisum
• prism
• schism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism
• anticommunism
• antisemitism
• antiterrorism
• bioterrorism
• colloquialism

Kids Definition

fascism

noun

fas·​cism ˈfash-ˌiz-əm 

often capitalized

: a political system headed by a dictator in which the government controls business and labor and opposition is not permitted

fascist

ˈfash-əst 

noun or adjective, often capitalized