regionalism

[ ree-juh-nl-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. Government. the principle or system of dividing a city, state, etc., into separate administrative regions.
2. advocacy of such a principle or system.
3. a speech form, expression, custom, or other feature peculiar to or characteristic of a particular area.
4. devotion to the interests of one's own region.
5. Literature. the theory or practice of emphasizing the regional characteristics of locale or setting, as by stressing local speech.
6. (often initial capital letter) a style of American painting developed chiefly 1930–40 in which subject matter was derived principally from rural areas.

regionalism

/ ˈriːdʒənəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. division of a country into administrative regions having partial autonomy
2. advocacy of such division
3. loyalty to one's home region; regional patriotism
4. the common interests of national groups, people, etc, living in the same part of the world
5. a word, custom, accent, or other characteristic associated with a specific region

Derived Forms

• ˈregionalist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• region·al·ist noun adjective
• region·al·istic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of regionalism¹

First recorded in 1880–85; regional + -ism

Example Sentences

Canadian politics scholars would point out that in Canada, regional identities are often stronger than national partisan identities, and this regionalism has kept Canadian politics more moderate.

From FiveThirtyEight

Regionalism in publishing can be a great spur to revitalization of reading.

From The Daily Beast

Regionalism, poverty and well-armed militias pose serious threats.

From The Daily Beast

The country is riven by tribalism, regionalism and a host of armed militias who so far have refused to disarm.

From The Daily Beast

Here another word of explanation is necessary to show clearly the precise meaning of regionalism in China.

From Project Gutenberg

The hope of regional literature lies in out-growing regionalism itself.

From Project Gutenberg

Much of it cannot be segregated; the earthworm, on which Darwin wrote a book, knows nothing of regionalism.

From Project Gutenberg

That is simply the problem as to the limits of political regionalism.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accent
• idiom
• jargon
• language
• lingo
• patois
• pronunciation
• slang
• terminology
• tongue
• vernacular
• vocabulary