re·stric·tion·ism
ri-ˈstrik-shə-ˌni-zəm 
: a policy or philosophy favoring restriction (as of trade or immigration)
: of, relating to, or concerned with restrictionism or restrictionists
restrictionist opinions
a restrictionist policy
Examples of restrictionism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Felipe De La Hoz,
The New Republic,
1 Mar. 2023
Populists mostly support the policy changes that Donald Trump brought about in the Republican Party — in favor of a more aggressive stance in the culture war, immigration restrictionism, a corporatist turn in economics, and antitrust actions against tech companies.
—
Damon Linker,
The Week,
13 July 2021
Brimelow's book landed just as immigration politics was taking a hard turn toward restrictionism.
—
Nicole Hemmer,
CNN,
15 Apr. 2021
Once a lonely cause, restrictionism had grown into a mature movement — an intellectual ecosystem of sorts — with groups specializing in areas as diverse as litigation and voter mobilization.
—
Jason Deparle,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2019
For decades, conventional wisdom held that immigration restrictionism was a political loser.
—
Jason L. Riley,
WSJ,
12 Feb. 2019
On the right, the American Conservative — usually sympathetic to immigration restrictionism — ran an op-ed from a scholar at the Cato Institute, which does not share those views.
—
Dara Lind,
Vox,
23 July 2018
Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross are steering him toward a trade war; Stephen Miller, John Kelly, and Jeff Sessions have encouraged his immigration restrictionism.
—
Jonathan Chait,
Daily Intelligencer,
8 July 2018
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Noun
After all the shouting, the reflexive restrictionism of the Trump era has become the default—and Biden, at least, doesn’t want to go back.
—
Felipe De La Hoz,
The New Republic,
1 Mar. 2023
Populists mostly support the policy changes that Donald Trump brought about in the Republican Party — in favor of a more aggressive stance in the culture war, immigration restrictionism, a corporatist turn in economics, and antitrust actions against tech companies.
—
Damon Linker,
The Week,
13 July 2021
Brimelow's book landed just as immigration politics was taking a hard turn toward restrictionism.
—
Nicole Hemmer,
CNN,
15 Apr. 2021
Once a lonely cause, restrictionism had grown into a mature movement — an intellectual ecosystem of sorts — with groups specializing in areas as diverse as litigation and voter mobilization.
—
Jason Deparle,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2019
For decades, conventional wisdom held that immigration restrictionism was a political loser.
—
Jason L. Riley,
WSJ,
12 Feb. 2019
On the right, the American Conservative — usually sympathetic to immigration restrictionism — ran an op-ed from a scholar at the Cato Institute, which does not share those views.
—
Dara Lind,
Vox,
23 July 2018
Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross are steering him toward a trade war; Stephen Miller, John Kelly, and Jeff Sessions have encouraged his immigration restrictionism.
—
Jonathan Chait,
Daily Intelligencer,
8 July 2018
Cite this Entry
“Restrictionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restrictionism. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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