fundamentalism

noun

fun·da·men·tal·ism | \ ˌfən-də-ˈmen-tə-ˌli-zəm

Definition of fundamentalism

1a often capitalized : a movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching

b : the beliefs of this movement

c : adherence to such beliefs a minister noted for his strict fundamentalism

2 : a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles Islamic fundamentalism political fundamentalism

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Other Words from fundamentalism

fundamentalist \ ˌfən-də-ˈmen-tə-list

\ noun

fundamentalist or fundamentalistic \ ˌfən-də-ˌmen-tə-ˈli-stik

\ adjective

Examples of fundamentalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Morocco, a Sunni Muslim kingdom of 36 million, reformed its religious policies and education to limit the spread of fundamentalism in 2004, following terrorist bombings in Casablanca in 2003 that killed 43 people. — Amira El Masaiti, The Seattle Times, "Pope in Morocco: Walls, fear-mongering won’t stop migration," 31 Mar. 2019 The two men would go on to fuel the forces of religious fundamentalism and ethnic nationalism that were to pose such challenges to liberal societies. — Margaret Macmillan, WSJ, "1989: The Year of Unfulfilled Hopes," 28 Dec. 2018 What does the secular world get wrong about evangelicalism and fundamentalism? — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "How Christianity can be an “alternative” to consumerism," 9 Oct. 2018 The Mullahs regime is the center of export of terrorism and fundamentalism. — Eric Shawn, Fox News, "Protesters against Iranian regime see a free Tehran ahead," 30 June 2018 The surprising result is rare good news for supporters of liberal democracy elsewhere around Southeast Asia, a region that has mostly been lurching toward autocracy, violence and religious fundamentalism in recent years. — King Chai Woon, Washington Post, "Malaysians usher in a new era as they usher out the ruling coalition," 10 May 2018 The displacement of this kind of conservatism by political ideology, religious fundamentalism, and constitutional recklessness should not just be of concern to those on the center-right. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Anthony Kennedy and the Death of True American Conservatism," 29 June 2018 As now with the debates over Islamic fundamentalism, these Cold-War arguments were hotly contested. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Richard Pipes," 17 May 2018 In his view Islamic fundamentalism was at war with both secularism and modernism, as embodied by the West. — Douglas Martin, BostonGlobe.com, "Bernard Lewis, 101, influential scholar of Islam," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fundamentalism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.