fundamentalism

American  

[fuhn-duh-men-tl-iz-uhm] / ˌfʌn dəˈmɛn tlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. (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.

2. the beliefs held by those in this movement.

3. strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles.

   the fundamentalism of the extreme conservatives.

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fundamentalism British  

/ ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

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

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

3. strict adherence to the fundamental principles of any set of beliefs

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fundamentalism Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

• antifundamentalism noun
• antifundamentalist noun
• fundamentalist noun
• fundamentalistic adjective
• nonfundamentalist noun

Etymology

Origin of fundamentalism

1920–25, 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

Explanation

Fundamentalism is a strict interpretation of the scripture, like Protestant Christians who believe that all the miracles in the Bible really happened. Islamic fundamentalism is the same, except people believe everything in the Koran actually happened. The word fundamentalism was originally associated with a Protestant movement of the early 1920s, which protested the treatment of the supernatural miracles and events of the Bible as anything but literally true. Fundamentalism was created in direct opposition to modernism, a movement that sought to reinterpret the events of the Bible based on modern times. Nowadays, fundamentalism usually refers to religion, but it can also be a strict and literal belief in anything.

Example Sentences

But they do not want to exchange political authoritarianism for religious fundamentalism, said al-Hadidi.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2024

West spoke to Salon about her experiences as a "stay-at-home daughter," explained why fundamentalism lures so many people in, and what, exactly the Christian right finds so alluring about Jane Austen novels.

From Salon • May 1, 2024

There, sharing a theatre stage with a dozen other religious representatives, he urged all religions to live in harmony and shun ideological fundamentalism that foments violence.

From Reuters • Sep. 3, 2023

Sharlet has written extensively about religion, fundamentalism and American politics.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2023

Gerald asks questions about the recent rise of Hindu fundamentalism, a topic Gogol knows little about.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri