laissez-faire
noun
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The French phrase laissez faire literally means “allow to do,” with the idea being “let people do as they choose.” The origins of laissez-faire are associated with the Physiocrats, a group of 18th-century French economists who believed that government policy should not interfere with the operation of natural economic laws. (The actual coiner of the phrase may have been French economist Vincent de Gournay, or it may have been François Quesnay, who is considered the group’s founder and leader.) The original phrase was “laissez faire, laissez passer,” with the second part meaning “let (things) pass.” Laissez-faire, which first showed up in an English context in the first half of the 19th century, can still mean “a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs,” but it is also used in broader contexts in which a “hands-off” or “anything-goes” policy or attitude is adopted. It is frequently used as an adjective meaning “favoring a ‘hands-off’ policy,” as in “laissez-faire economics.”
Examples of laissez-faire in a Sentence
Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 19 June 2025
Asia presents a spectrum from China’s comprehensive regulation to Japan's laissez-faire approach, while Africa seeks collective coordination through continental strategy.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
High earners from around the country were drawn to Florida’s warm weather, favorable tax policies, relatively cheap real estate and laissez-faire attitude toward pandemic restrictions.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 11 June 2025
Given the laissez-faire shift across tech and government over the past couple of years, conditions could be setting up for another cycle of retrenchment.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for laissez-faire
Cite this Entry
“Laissez-faire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laissez-faire. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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