ideology

American  

[ahy-dee-ol-uh-jee, id-ee-] / ˌaɪ diˈɒl ə dʒi, ˌɪd i- /

noun

plural

ideologies

1. the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group.

2. such a body of doctrine, myth, etc., with reference to some political and social plan, as that of fascism, along with the devices for putting it into operation.

3. Philosophy.

   1. the study of the nature and origin of ideas.

   2. a system that derives ideas exclusively from sensation.

4. theorizing of a visionary or impractical nature.

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ideology British  

/ ˌaɪdɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌaɪdɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a body of ideas that reflects the beliefs and interests of a nation, political system, etc and underlies political action

2. philosophy sociol the set of beliefs by which a group or society orders reality so as to render it intelligible

3. speculation that is imaginary or visionary

4. the study of the nature and origin of ideas

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ideology Cultural  

1. A system of beliefs or theories, usually political, held by an individual or a group. Capitalism, communism, and socialism are usually called ideologies.

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Other Word Forms

• ideological
  adjective
• ideologically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of ideology

First recorded in 1790–1800; ideo- + -logy

Explanation

An ideology is a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or an individual. Very often ideology refers to a set of political beliefs or a set of ideas that characterize a particular culture. Capitalism, communism, socialism, and Marxism are ideologies. But not all -ism words are. Think: cronyism (a system of graft whereby friends unfairly help each other make money.) Our English noun is from French idéologie. The suffix –logy, used with many English words describing theories or doctrines, is from Greek logos "word, reason, speech, account."

Example Sentences

Instead, Kim Il Sung supplemented and eventually replaced Marxism-Leninism with the Chuch’e Ideology, a philosophy that the Great Leader, as Kim Il Sung was known, is said to have begun developing as a 14-year-old revolutionary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Richard Hanania, president of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, said that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “wouldn’t have stood for it.”

From Washington Times • May 20, 2023

“It seems the protest wave has come and gone,” Jeremy Wallace, sociology professor at Cornell and the author of Seeking Truth and Hiding Facts: Information, Ideology, and Authoritarianism in China, said in a phone interview.

From Slate • Dec. 22, 2022

Alongside Rowling was journalist Helen Joyce, who penned the 2021 book "Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality," and radical feminist writer Julie Bindel, who is also the co-founder of the campaigning organization Justice for Women.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2022

Such desperate shifts to elude the meaning of plain words, as the whole theory of Ideology discloses, would be even ludicrous, if the subject-matter were not so very sacred and solemn.

From Inspiration and Interpretation Seven Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford by Burgon, John William

Related Words

• creed
• culture
• dogma
• outlook
• philosophy
• theory
• view