exceptionalism

[ ik-sep-shuh-nl-iz-uh m ]

/ ɪkˈsɛp ʃə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

the condition of being exceptional; uniqueness.

the study of the unique and exceptional.

a theory that a nation, region, or political system is exceptional and does not conform to the norm.

Nearby words

excepting, exception, exception proves the rule, the, exceptionable, exceptional, exceptionalism, exceptive, excerpt, excerpta, excess, excess baggage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exceptionalism

The first is the shared history of the Americas, too often eclipsed by the story of U.S. “exceptionalism.”
Keep the Holiday, Lose Columbus|Carrie Gibson|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Niebuhr “played by the rules” by affirming American exceptionalism, and writing about American innocence.
Noam Chomsky—Infuriating and Necessary|David Masciotra|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The SBOE wants Texas students to learn about “American exceptionalism.”
In Texas Textbooks, Moses Is a Founding Father|Edward Countryman|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But American exceptionalism has merely delayed secularization, not halted it.
Did the Southern Baptist ‘Conservative Resurgence’ Fail?|Molly Worthen|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the Mandela legacy has also given South Africa a distorted sense of exceptionalism.
Mandela: The Last Good Man|Mark Gevisser|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for exceptionalism

exceptionalism

/ (ɪkˈsɛpʃənəlɪzəm) /

noun

an attitude to other countries, cultures, etc based on the idea of being quite distinct from, and often superior to, them in vital ways

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