folkways
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of folkways
folk + ways; term introduced in a book of the same title (1907) by W. G. Sumner
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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.
The U.S.-influenced counterculture of the 1960s inverted the social order, venerating indigenous folkways and fueling aspirations for full independence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026
Its nine stories concern the complicated Bengali families in India and America, and Lahiri’s elegant, observant prose is constantly alert to the ways that lore and folkways shape or abrade relationships.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
“His witty, wistful songs celebrate a uniquely American cast of characters and seaside folkways, weaving together an unforgettable musical mix of country, folk, rock, pop, and calypso into something uniquely his own.”
From Washington Times • Sep. 2, 2023
Culture has a certain absorptive quality; when new people join a group, they tend to adopt its folkways.
From Washington Post • Mar. 10, 2022
It offers no nifty formulas for pigeonholing people or decoding folkways and manners.
From "Class Matters" by The New York 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.
