chauvinism

[ shoh-vuh-niz-uhm ]

/ ˈʃoʊ vəˌnɪz əm /

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See synonyms for: chauvinism / chauvinist 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 a particular gender based on the belief that one gender is inferior to another and thus deserving of less than equal treatment or benefit.Compare male chauvinism.

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Origin of chauvinism

First recorded in 1865–70; from 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

chausses, Chausson, chaussure, Chautauqua, Chautemps, chauvinism, chauvinist, chauvinistic, chav, Chavannes, chavette

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chauvinism in a sentence

The undertones of toxic masculinity and chauvinism that have dominated the gaming world for decades still linger.
The Twitch Renaissance|Emma Foster|July 15, 2021|Ozy
WAMU in Washington, for example, was “so new and precarious, the pay so low, and the new program so untested that convention and chauvinism didn’t, couldn’t prevail,” Napoli writes.
Four women who broke barriers to become the founding mothers of NPR|Connie Schultz|April 16, 2021|Washington Post
We will give up and stop any manifestations of chauvinism and xenophobia.
Can Ukraine Control Its Far Right Ultranationalists?|Oleg Shynkarenko|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let's hope that that the increased presence of women in the new Knesset will help free us from that chauvinism once and for all.
The Latent Chauvinism Of Lapid's "Zoabiz" Apology|Rawia Aburabia|February 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But the "Zoabiz" was a small reminder that latent chauvinism is alive and well.
The Latent Chauvinism Of Lapid's "Zoabiz" Apology|Rawia Aburabia|February 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I became a feminist in the 1970s because I did not appreciate male chauvinism.
And What About the Boys?|Ilana Glazer|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the proper corrective to chauvinism is not to reverse it and practice it against males, but rather basic fairness.
And What About the Boys?|Ilana Glazer|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They furnished a vivid but rather aggravating explanation for the existing backwardness and chauvinism of the commonwealth.
The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume I|Burton J. Hendrick
Our one desire was to get back to America, and we regarded Europe with the most ignorant chauvinism and contempt.
Theodore Roosevelt|Theodore Roosevelt
He never stooped to pietistic clap-trap, or chanted the jaunty chauvinism that has so often caused the Hoosier stars to blink.
Atlantic Classics|Various
The old dregs of Chauvinism, stirred by the Bonapartists, discharge their muddy waters.
History of the Commune of 1871|P. Lissagary
In Japan, opinion ranged from imperialistic chauvinism to liberal recognition of the consortium as a way out of the mess.
The Pacific Triangle|Sydney Greenbie

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).)

chauvinism

Origin of chauvinism

OTHER WORDS FROM chauvinism

Words nearby chauvinism

Words related to chauvinism

How to use chauvinism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chauvinism

Derived forms of chauvinism

Word Origin for chauvinism

Cultural definitions for chauvinism

notes for chauvinism