fundamentalism

[ fuhn-duh-men-tl-iz-uhm ]

/ ˌfʌn dəˈmɛn tlˌɪz əm /

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See synonyms for: fundamentalist on Thesaurus.com

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter) a religious movement characterized by a strict belief in the literal interpretation of religious texts, especially within American Protestantism and Islam.

the beliefs held by those in this movement.

strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles: the fundamentalism of the extreme conservatives.

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Origin of fundamentalism

1920–25, Americanism;fundamental + -ism; originally in reference to the American Protestant fundamentalism movement, which arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in reaction to modernism

OTHER WORDS FROM fundamentalism

fun·da·men·tal·ist, noun, adjectivean·ti·fun·da·men·tal·ism, nounan·ti·fun·da·men·tal·ist, noun, adjectivenon·fun·da·men·tal·ist, noun

Words nearby fundamentalism

fundamental bass, fundamental constant, fundamental force, fundamental frequency, fundamental interaction, fundamentalism, fundamentalist, fundamental law, fundamentally, fundamental particle, fundamental sequence

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

How to use fundamentalism in a sentence

The shifting sands beneath our feet have a much longer history, as Lepore summarized in that article, that includes postmodernism, relativism, and fundamentalism.
The Era of ‘Self-Evident’ Truth Is Over. Today’s America Is Founded on Belief Instead|Jason Steinhauer|July 1, 2022|Time
It talks about radicalization as well as fundamentalism—and the dangers of that.
Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and Revolutionizing Cinema|Marlow Stern|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lines of fundamentalism are blurrier today than what they once were.
Fred Phelps May Be Dead, But His Fundamentalist God Lives|Matthew Paul Turner|March 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two-state solution being the driving force behind Islamic fundamentalism, of course.
Partition Skepticism and the Future of the Peace Process|Avner Inbar, Assaf Sharon|September 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And, where those cannot be achieved, at least a base-level opposition to tyranny, reaction, religious fundamentalism, and so on.
When Liberals Enable Tyrants|Michael Tomasky|September 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Fundamentalism will not win, even if they say, ‘Allahu akbar’ all day long,” her mother told Bennoune.
The True Muslim Revolutionaries and Their Fight Against Extremism|Timothy Michael Law|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
By some such stubborn tendency toward error Fundamentalism in our day is moving back toward spiritual slavery.
The Pursuit of God|A. W. Tozer

British Dictionary definitions for fundamentalism

fundamentalism

/ (ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəˌlɪzəm) /

noun

Christianity (esp among certain Protestant sects) the belief that every word of the Bible is divinely inspired and therefore true

Islam a movement favouring strict observance of the teachings of the Koran and Islamic law

strict adherence to the fundamental principles of any set of beliefs

Derived forms of fundamentalism

fundamentalist, noun, adjectivefundamentalistic, adjective

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 fundamentalism

fundamentalism

A conservative movement in theology among nineteenth- and twentieth-century Christians (see also Christian). Fundamentalists believe that the statements in the Bible (see also Bible) are literally true.

notes for fundamentalism

Fundamentalists often argue against the theory of evolution. (See Scopes trial.)