egalitarian
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Usage
What does egalitarian mean? Egalitarianism is a social and political philosophy promoting the equal status of all people. Something in line with this principle is described as egalitarian. Someone who espouses this principle of equality can be called an egalitarian. How is egalitarian pronounced?[ ih-gal-i-tair-ee-uhn ]What are other forms of egalitarian?egalitarianismWhat are some other words related to egalitarian?
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of egalitarian
First recorded in 1880–85; alteration of equalitarian with French égal replacing equal
Compare meaning
How does egalitarian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An egalitarian is a person who believes in the equality of all people, and an egalitarian society gives everyone equal rights. This is a word that means something close to equality and has to do with fairness. If you believe that everyone deserves a chance to vote, go to school, get good jobs, and participate in society, then you are an egalitarian. When laws make life fairer, the law is getting more egalitarian. The opposite of an egalitarian system could be a fascist society or dictatorship. Monarchies are not egalitarian. When you see this word, think about equality and freedom.
Vocabulary lists containing egalitarian
Grade 10, List 3
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Outliers
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The nation is so committed to its egalitarian ideals of social enjoyment, proper development and sport-for-all that kids aren’t even sorted by talent until they’re 13.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
L.A. was where he had come of age, and it remained an indelible part of his life and psyche — not least in terms of its egalitarian spirit and its tendency toward the horizontal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
"Possibly, this is due to their more egalitarian social systems. Bonobos appear to live together in more fluid relationships, with social bonds that transcend group boundaries, something we rarely see in chimpanzees," explains Van Leeuwen.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026
This makes Lego a kitschy means of egalitarian expression, effective for conveying all manner of messaging and symbolism.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
In fact, acceptance of cognitive egalitarianism means they cannot think historically, for a cognitive egalitarian cannot explain why, to take but one example, we no longer believe that swallows overwinter in ponds.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
By categorizing people as lucky or unlucky, she argued, these egalitarians set up a moralizing hierarchy.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 31, 2018
But those whigs, liberals, egalitarians, eco-warriors, freedom-fighters or pacifists who are able to imagine a far better world all hear the call of utopianism.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 24, 2016
Thus, while secularizing leaders were generally on the left and saw themselves as egalitarians, they were often viewed by the traditionalist, religious masses as elitists.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 3, 2015
Should such a movement take back feminism — or, as the new egalitarians suggest, give up on the label altogether because of its inherent connotations of advocating for women only?
From Time ● Jul. 24, 2014
There were even a few egalitarians who claimed for all classes a democratic régime.
From The Age of the Reformation by Smith, Preserved
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
