anarchism
Americannoun
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a doctrine urging the abolition of government or governmental restraint as the indispensable condition for full social and political liberty.
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the methods or practices of anarchists, as the use of violence to undermine government.
noun
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political theory a doctrine advocating the abolition of government
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the principles or practice of anarchists
Discover More
Anarchy is sometimes used to refer to any state of chaos or lawlessness.
Other Word Forms
- proanarchism noun
- semianarchism noun
Etymology
Origin of anarchism
Compare meaning
How does anarchism compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Other themes included veganism – total avoidance of any animal food or products – and anarchism.
From BBC
At the time of the theft of the Mona Lisa, anarchism in France had a violent tinge.
From Literature
It is funny that the connection between punk and anarchism is kind of manufactured, but then becomes a popular political movement across the world.
From Los Angeles Times
I was studying — like everybody else those days — Marxism, anarchism.
From New York Times
“I’ve been thinking about, sort of seriously, and sort of not, how much I love art that deals with anarchism,” she says, chuckling.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
