chauvinism

[ shoh-vuh-niz-uh m ]
/ ˈʃoʊ vəˌnɪz əm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR chauvinism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

zealous and aggressive patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory.
biased devotion to any group, attitude, or cause: religious chauvinism.
the denigration, disparagement, and patronization of either sex based on the belief that one sex is inferior to the other and thus deserving of less than equal treatment or benefit.Compare male chauvinism.

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Origin of chauvinism

1865–70; < French chauvinisme, equivalent to chauvin jingo (named after N. Chauvin, a soldier in Napoleon's army noted for loud-mouthed patriotism) + -isme -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM chauvinism

chau·vin·ist, noun

Words nearby chauvinism

chaussier's areola, chausson, chaussure, chautauqua, chautemps, chauvinism, chauvinist, chav, chavannes, chavette, chavez
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to chauvinism

fanaticism, nationalism, jingoism, narrowness, zealotry, ethnocentricity

Example sentences from the Web for chauvinism

British Dictionary definitions for chauvinism

chauvinism
/ (ˈʃəʊvɪˌnɪzəm) /

noun

aggressive or fanatical patriotism; jingoism
enthusiastic devotion to a cause
smug irrational belief in the superiority of one's own race, party, sex, etcmale chauvinism

Derived forms of chauvinism

chauvinist, nounchauvinistic, adjectivechauvinistically, adverb

Word Origin for chauvinism

C19: from French chauvinisme, after Nicolas Chauvin, legendary French soldier under Napoleon, noted for his vociferous and unthinking patriotism
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for chauvinism

chauvinism

Exaggerated belief in the supremacy of one's nation, class, caste, or group. Chauvinism usually involves xenophobia.

notes for chauvinism

The word chauvinism is often used as shorthand for “male chauvinism,” a term describing the attitudes of men who believe that women are inferior and should not be given equal status with men. (See also feminism (see also feminism).)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.