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

So the effort by some Democrats to reinvigorate their party’s economic agenda with a populism that identifies Trump and Republicans in Congress with corporate America and wealthy titans of industry isn’t necessarily something to sneer at, some Republicans tell me. —David M. Drucker, Boston Herald, 11 Apr. 2025

Protectionism, populism, geopolitical pressures - all land up on my lap. —Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

The answer to Republican populism, it was broadly concluded, was Democratic populism. —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 11 Apr. 2025

Jan-Werner Müller is a German historian and philosopher who has written a number of studies of right-wing populism. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025

Lasch’s brand of populism is also a recognition that we are bound by culture and tradition. —Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025

Booker’s remarks come as Democrats have been trying to organize an effective resistance against Trump and break into the cracks of MAGA populism as the party is still recovering after a bruising 2024 election loss. —Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025

Inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in 2022—the highest in four decades, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—has increased living costs, exacerbated economic disparity, and contributed to rising populism and global unrest. —Dan Irvine, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Trump, for his part, has ushered in a wave of national populism, with protectionist policies as a pillar of his economic agenda. —Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025

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