personalism

noun

per·​son·​al·​ism ˈpərs-nə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce personalism (audio)
ˈpər-sə-nə-
: a doctrine emphasizing the significance, uniqueness, and inviolability of personality
personalist
ˈpərs-nə-list How to pronounce personalism (audio)
ˈpər-sə-nə-
noun or adjective
personalistic
ˌpərs-nə-ˈli-stik How to pronounce personalism (audio)
ˌpər-sə-nə-
adjective

Examples of personalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What is personalism? Ryce Stoughtenborough, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 June 2021 On the Sister’s website, Monica Beemer, a former director, offered a tribute: Genny always led with a gentle, yet formidable presence, centering Sisters’ work on the core principles of gentle personalism, nonviolence, and the practice of dining with dignity. oregonlive, 26 Aug. 2020 As pacifists, personalism gives a pathway for heroism even when the struggle — the struggle to stop the war — is lost. David Perry, Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2022 The principles animating this vary from one administration to the next, but Trump’s staffing was unprecedented in its volatility—unheard-of numbers of officials at senior and middle levels were hired and fired—and its personalism. Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 6 Jan. 2021 Third, increased personalism also undermines the idea of a Chinese governance model. Jeremy Wallace, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2018 Research on how to measure a leader’s personalism sheds light on these developments and how Xi’s moves compare with those in other regimes, like Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Kim Jong Un’s North Korea or Paul Kagame’s Rwanda. Erica Frantz, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2018 Changing the constitution to keep the leader in office is precisely the kind of change that scholars use to gauge rising or falling personalism. Jeremy Wallace, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2018 First, personalism makes calamitous mistakes more likely, as policy follows the whims of an individual. Jeremy Wallace, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'personalism.' 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

circa 1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of personalism was circa 1846

Dictionary Entries Near personalism

Cite this Entry

“Personalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personalism. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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