Stalinism

1 of 2

noun

Sta·​lin·​ism ˈstä-lə-ˌni-zəm 

ˈsta-

: the political, economic, and social principles and policies associated with Joseph Stalin

especially : the theory and practice of communism developed by Stalin from Marxism-Leninism and marked especially by rigid authoritarianism, widespread use of terror, and often emphasis on Russian nationalism

Stalinist

ˈstä-lə-nist 

ˈsta-

noun or adjective

Stalinize

ˈstä-lə-ˌnīz 

ˈsta-

transitive verb

Stalinoid

ˈstä-lə-ˌnȯid 

ˈsta-

noun or adjective

Stalinize

2 of 2

transitive verb

Sta·​lin·​ize -ˌnīz 

-ed/-ing/-s

: to make Stalinist

Examples of Stalinism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

National Socialism had murdered the Jews and laid waste to German civilization; Stalinism had regimented Soviet life through purges and camps. — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Like Stalinism or the Khmer Rouge, anti-Zionism represents a wrong turn for the left. — Adam Louis-Klein, The Atlantic, 18 June 2026

Until Hoxha's break with Nikita Khrushchev's USSR, after the abjuration of Stalinism, Sazan was in Soviet hands, a thorn in the side of the West, a base for 12 Whiskey-class submarines and of chemical-biological weapons plants. — Marzio G. Mian, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

In these respects, apart from the harlequin excesses of his Stalinism, Cowley is terrifically sound. — Vince Passaro, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Transitive verb

Joseph Stalin †1953 + English -ize

First Known Use

Noun

1927, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Stalinism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• sophism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism