speciesism

noun

spe·​cies·​ism ˈspē-shēz-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce speciesism (audio)
-sēz-
1
: prejudice or discrimination based on species
especially : discrimination against animals
2
: the assumption of human superiority on which speciesism is based
speciesist adjective
speciesist views/thinking
speciesist noun
plural speciesists

Examples of speciesism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Over more than 40 years, PETA has not achieved its goal of ending speciesism. Jan Dutkiewicz, Vox, 8 Aug. 2024 The Marius incident called into question animal rights issues, speciesism, the ethics of zoos and even the Disneyfied way in which death and violence are often erased from our understanding of the animal kingdom. Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 Media scholars attribute speciesism to a lack of media coverage. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2022 But speciesism, the notion that humans are inherently superior to all other organisms and, therefore, entitled to exploit them, remains firmly rooted in our way of thinking — and acting. Richard Schiffman, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 In a separate video, Havok advocates against speciesism, the notion that humans are superior to other species. Jude Zhu, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2022

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

1970, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of speciesism was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near speciesism

Cite this Entry

“Speciesism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speciesism. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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