volunteerism

noun

vol·​un·​teer·​ism ˌvä-lən-ˈtir-ˌi-zəm 

1

: voluntarism sense 1

2

: the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service

Examples of volunteerism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Commitment to volunteering and community service is a dominant theme of the film, so what better way to celebrate a town known for volunteerism than to further drive that spirit. —Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026

States like California, Maryland, and Colorado are beginning to recognize this by experimenting with models that treat volunteerism as workforce development, not merely civic goodwill. —Cat Ward, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

The accusation ignores the culture of volunteerism that saved and maintains Darlington, and so many other non-League clubs. —Michael Walker, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026

WalletHub, the online personal finance outlet, recently analyzed all 50 states' charitable giving using 17 metrics, including volunteerism, percentage of income donated and charities per capita. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for volunteerism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism