statism
noun
stat·ism
ˈstā-ˌti-zəm 
: concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of a highly centralized government often extending to government ownership of industry
… although dictator Augusto Pinochet made it the first Latin American country to steer away from statism in 1982, Chile struggled for seven years before the economy finally soared.—
Marc Levinson with Tim Padgett
Marc Levinson with Tim PadgettRussia badly needs basic economic reform, not the roller-coaster-like changes between "free market" austerity and old-style statism.—Forbes
Forbes
Examples of statism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Such is the peril of the policy choices facing the Chinese government: stability bought with statism today means weaker performance tomorrow that prevents Beijing from making necessary investments in greener growth.
—Daniel H. Rosen, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2023
To him, Americans seem to have confused individualism with anti-statism; U.S. policy makers happily throw people into positions of reliance on their families and communities in order to keep the state out.
—Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2022
That’s what excites national conservatives: the statism.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 4 Apr. 2022
Put aside for the moment the problem that people may be gripped by moral suppositions that are not aligned with progressive statism.
—Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
Wilson’s vision of education was a preview of his overbearing statism.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 16 Mar. 2022
The concern over sugar is real, but milk that isn’t drunk holds no benefit for kids, except perhaps as an early lesson in the pitfalls of nanny-statism.
—Nr Editors, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022
From Canada and Australia to the U.K. and beyond, the government response to the Covid-19 pandemic has mostly devolved to heavy-handed mandates, unprecedented nanny statism, and incipient authoritarianism.
—Marion Smith, WSJ, 16 Feb. 2022
Unfortunately, there appears to be a concerted effort to move the United States rapidly away from localism toward statism.
—Robert Brooks, National Review, 28 July 2021
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Daniel H. Rosen, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2023
To him, Americans seem to have confused individualism with anti-statism; U.S. policy makers happily throw people into positions of reliance on their families and communities in order to keep the state out.
—Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2022
That’s what excites national conservatives: the statism.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 4 Apr. 2022
Put aside for the moment the problem that people may be gripped by moral suppositions that are not aligned with progressive statism.
—Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
Wilson’s vision of education was a preview of his overbearing statism.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 16 Mar. 2022
The concern over sugar is real, but milk that isn’t drunk holds no benefit for kids, except perhaps as an early lesson in the pitfalls of nanny-statism.
—Nr Editors, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022
From Canada and Australia to the U.K. and beyond, the government response to the Covid-19 pandemic has mostly devolved to heavy-handed mandates, unprecedented nanny statism, and incipient authoritarianism.
—Marion Smith, WSJ, 16 Feb. 2022
Unfortunately, there appears to be a concerted effort to move the United States rapidly away from localism toward statism.
—Robert Brooks, National Review, 28 July 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'statism.' 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
1890, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near statism
Cite this Entry
“Statism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/statism. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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