anarchism
Americannoun
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a doctrine urging the abolition of government or governmental restraint as the indispensable condition for full social and political liberty.
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the methods or practices of anarchists, as the use of violence to undermine government.
noun
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political theory a doctrine advocating the abolition of government
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the principles or practice of anarchists
Discover More
Anarchy is sometimes used to refer to any state of chaos or lawlessness.
Other Word Forms
- proanarchism noun
- semianarchism noun
Etymology
Origin of anarchism
Compare meaning
How does anarchism compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Other themes included veganism – total avoidance of any animal food or products – and anarchism.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2025
It is funny that the connection between punk and anarchism is kind of manufactured, but then becomes a popular political movement across the world.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2023
I was studying — like everybody else those days — Marxism, anarchism.
From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2023
Opponents of socialism and anarchism argued further that workers were free to accept the terms of employment or leave if not satisfied.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
They talked about revolution vs. reform and anarchism vs. socialism, and Andrew was struck, as he always had been, by the way Sasha carefully considered things instead of just echoing the opinions of other people.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
