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
• nonfundamentalist
  noun
• fundamentalistic
  adjective

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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

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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

See Examples For:

fundamentalism

Mr. Vance has no ill words for the unlearned fundamentalism in which his grandmother raised him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

Her studies fostered deep empathy for humanity, leading her to later criticise fundamentalism across religions, including Hinduism.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2025

In the world of Christian fundamentalism, for instance, this is a popular meme illustrating how they see family:

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2024

This one is set in Pakistan, in the midst of debates about religious fundamentalism and gender roles, but the outlines are familiar even to audiences in very different circumstances.

From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024

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

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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