SINCE 1828
statism
noun
stat·ism
| \ ˈstā-ˌti-zəm
\
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Definition of statism
: 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 Russia badly needs basic economic reform, not the roller-coaster-like changes between "free market" austerity and old-style statism. — Forbes
Examples of statism in a Sentence
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David Friedman, emancipated from the statism of his father, Milton, admitted that the market might not be able to handle such problems perfectly; but government handles them even less perfectly. — Richard Brookhiser, National Review, "Moving Portrait," 4 June 2019 As a general rule, a recommendation to follow the European Union down the rabbit hole of statism never delivers as advertised. — WSJ, "Rent-Seeking Can Be Abused but Has Plusses," 11 Apr. 2019 Sharp turns towards statism and government overreach at City Hall and in Albany threaten the gains of the last generation. — WSJ, "Notable & Quotable: Larry Mone Retires," 12 July 2018 Central American corruption, statism and crony capitalism have led to poverty and exclusion. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "George Soros and the ‘Caravan’," 6 May 2018 Every form of statism — from absolute monarchy to socialism to fascism — involves the state forming an alliance with some faction or another and giving it preferential treatment. — Jonah Goldberg, National Review, "Trump’s Tariffs Are Statism on the March," 26 Jan. 2018 The best news is that the eurozone is growing again, while France seems earnest about loosening the grip of statism. — Josef Joffe, WSJ, "Europe’s Struggle to Take Its Destiny Into Its Own Hands," 20 July 2017 Macron promises only to nibble at statism’s ragged edges. — George F. Will, The Denver Post, "Will France elect a Gallic Barack Obama?," 29 Apr. 2017 Macron promises only to nibble at statism’s ragged edges. — George Will, Twin Cities, "George Will: Will France elect a Gallic Barack Obama?," 27 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'statism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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