progressivism

noun pro·gres·siv·ism \ prə-ˈgre-si-ˌvi-zəm \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Definition of progressivism

1 : the principles, beliefs, or practices of progressives

2 capitalized : the political and economic doctrines advocated by the Progressives

3 : the theories of progressive education

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progressivist

play \prə-ˈgre-si-vist\ noun or adjective

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progressivistic

play \prə-ˌgre-si-ˈvi-stik\ adjective

Recent Examples of progressivism from the Web

Bill Clinton’s New Democrats provided Tony Blair’s New Labour with the intellectual heft to make progressivism exciting again, after the dismal years of fights over nationalising the means of production and scrapping nuclear weapons.

— The Economist, "The special relationship once enriched Britain’s politics. No longer," 5 July 2018
Strother admits that unabashed progressivism seems to be catching on in the race for US Senate, where Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke is running a competitive race with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

— ella nilsen, Vox, "This Democratic primary race is a test of whether unapologetic progressivism can win in Texas," 21 May 2018
There is no question that Democratic leaders have been tugged toward a brand of more unadulterated progressivism.

— jonathan martin, New York Times, "As Trump Consolidates Power, Democrats Confront a Rebellion in Their Ranks," 30 June 2018
Since Trump’s election, ESPN has become the occasional target of conservatives, who accuse it of being in the bag for cultural progressivism, a kind of sporty sibling to MSNBC.

— vinson cunningham, The New Yorker, "Stephen A. Smith Won’t Stop Talking," 16 June 2018
And eliminating gender bias in the succession to the throne merely reflects 20th-century norms, not 21st-century progressivism.

— autumn brewington, chicagotribune.com, "5 myths about the British royals," 14 May 2018
But by combining racial and cultural progressivism with an economic platform that’s equal parts Bernie Sanders and Black Lives Matter, Democrats can turn out Obama voters who stayed home in 2016 and win back some Obama-Trump voters.

— joshua mound, The New Republic, "Resolving the Democrats’ False Choice," 15 Mar. 2018
Who has the truest claim to progressivism in 2018, when both candidates can credibly grab at the label?

— chuck todd, NBC News, "The May primary wars are about to begin," 30 Apr. 2018
In his distillation of the many volumes by earlier biographers, Mr. Chiles distinguishes Smith’s local progressivism from the national liberal agenda that Franklin D. Roosevelt labeled the New Deal and imposed in response to the Depression.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "Trailblazers in Politics and Civil Rights," 19 Apr. 2018

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