progressivism

noun

pro·​gres·​siv·​ism prə-ˈgre-si-ˌvi-zəm 

plural progressivisms

1

see usage paragraph below : a political philosophy and social reform movement focused on advancing the public good through government action and often calling for government to be used to meet popular social, political, economic, and environmental needs and demands and to advance rights and protections for marginalized groups : the principles, beliefs, or practices of political progressives

… a progressivism that prioritizes the elimination of disadvantages rooted in race, gender, sexual orientation, and other marginalized identities …

—Eric Levitz

Countries with long traditions of progressivism have historically supported anti-imperialist actions around the world …

—Jonathan B. Petkun

[Woodrow] Wilson was representative of a moderate progressivism that existed in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early part of this [the twentieth] one. … In general, moderate progressives believed that ethnic and class conflict resulted from valuing private interests over the public interest. This in turn led to widespread corruption of the spoils system by political machines. Immigrants living in the major cities had too often been the cogs that kept the machines running.

—Hans Vought

It wasn't just that progressives [of the early 20th century]—like nonprogressive Americans—were divided by region, race and gender. They also differed in how they understood the very meaning of progressivism. For many in the movement … progressivism was principally about checking the power of large interests and providing better and more honest government to citizens. For settlement house leaders like [Jane] Addams and Florence Kelley, it was about empowering poor urban residents by improving the environment in which they lived.

—Joshua Zeitz

2

often Progressivism : the political and economic doctrines advocated by the Progressives (see progressive entry 2 sense 1b)

At the end of the nineteenth century, Progressivism emerged as a political movement in response to significant economic, social, and political inequalities. Though Progressives advocated for many different reforms, the central, shared idea was that the government should lead efforts to change society's ills. Previously, the general consensus was that social or economic ills were best solved through private efforts.

—PBS.org

Early-twentieth-century Progressivism was a movement for social and economic reform. Progressives of that era were alarmed over industrialization and urbanization and resented the power wielded by new, giant business organizations such as oil, automobile, and steel corporations.

—Roger Stern

3

often Progressivism : the theories of progressive (see progressive entry 1 sense 3) education

There are two problems with … pure traditionalism and pure progressivism. The first is that both are wrong in their conceptions of how teaching and learning occur for the vast majority of students. … the vast majority of students do not function or learn best with either a purely structured or purely unstructured approach.

—Stanley Pogrow

compare essentialism

4

: the action or process of advancing or improving by marked stages or degrees : gradual betterment : progress

To many, Beethoven represents a musical pinnacle, an ideal blend of musical progressivism, beauty and even social commentary.

—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

progressivist

prə-ˈgre-si-vist 

adjective

or less commonly progressivistic

prə-ˌgre-si-ˈvi-stik 

progressivist noun

plural progressivists

Usage of Liberalism and Progressivism

The words liberalism and progressivism are both associated with the political left (see left entry 2 sense 3a) and are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to the same basic leftist political philosophy that government should be used to improve the lives of the citizenry.

In the U.S. liberalism means the embrace of an activist, interventionist government expanding its involvement and responsibilities in the economy and centralizing decision making. … During World War I some of the leading progressive writers began to use the word liberalism as a substitute for progressivism, which had become tarnished by its association with their fallen hero, Theodore Roosevelt, who had run and lost on a Progressive third-party ticket.

—Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw

However, distinctions between liberalism and progressivism are commonly made. When the two are distinguished, liberalism is held to focus on protecting the freedom of the individual from arbitrary authority and other infringements (a concept that can be traced back to early classical liberalism), while progressivism is regarded as focusing on advancing rights and protections for marginalized groups.

Liberalism was the political ideology that sparked the American Revolution. … The government's role within this liberal ideology was to protect individual rights. As economic power became more concentrated in the late 1800s, that liberal ideology evolved so that Americans saw the government's role not as limited to protecting their rights, but also as protecting their economic well-being. This latter role is the ideology of progressivism.

—Randall G. Holcombe

Until recently, left-wing ideology had been dominated by traditional liberalism, which advocates for equality through persuasion and consensus-building across voting blocs. More recently, progressivism has challenged this view, emphasizing political activism within, for example, racial and cultural identities.

—Geoff Haddock

"But I think, in my view and my understanding, progressivism starts with this idea that government exists to help achieve a national purpose and enable our own individual self-expression and self-realization. … [L]iberalism thinks that freedom is freedom from foreign rule, freedom to participate in government. Progressivism thinks that freedom fundamentally is freedom of self-expression and self-autonomy."

—Paul Miller

Examples of progressivism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Harris, one of the more celebrated young lefty writers working today, the answer lies in some combination of progressivism, socialism, and out-and-out revolution. —Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2025

As the son of a former prime minister, his leadership initially symbolized a new era of progressivism. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

But the alignment between MAGA and progressivism goes much deeper than agreement on particular pro-union, anti-trade, big-spending policies. —Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 6 June 2025

After the death of Pope John Paul II, a papal conclave in Rome convenes to choose a new leader of a church caught between tradition and progressivism. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1