exceptionalism

American  

[ik-sep-shuh-nl-iz-uhm] / ɪkˈsɛp ʃə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the condition of being exceptional; uniqueness.

2. the study of the unique and exceptional.

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

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exceptionalism British  

/ ɪkˈsɛpʃənəlɪzəm /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of exceptionalism

First recorded in 1925–30; exceptional ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

The Air Force general represents an entirely different philosophy that has, it must be said, always existed in American life and must be acknowledged in any discussion of American exceptionalism: outright nihilism.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

At the Blue Note, Jean performs a kind of Haitian exceptionalism: a sensorially rich, festal theater that serves as a necessary counterweight to the country’s grim realities of poverty and political neglect.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

Washington is so tied up with the narrative of American greatness and exceptionalism that some people may think it’s wrong to probe him too deeply.

From Slate • Feb. 16, 2026

Wall Street, he observes, is “sensibly rotating from AI spenders to beneficiaries, services to manufacturing, U.S. exceptionalism to global rebalancing.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 6, 2026

I propose to take our countrymen’s claims of American exceptionalism seriously, which is to say I propose subjecting our country to an exceptional moral standard.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates