ism
noun
a distinctive doctrine, theory, system, or practice.
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ism
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-ism
-isma suffix appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it was used to form action nouns from verbs (baptism ); on this model, used as a productive suffix in the formation of nouns denoting action or practice, state or condition, principles, doctrines, a usage or characteristic, devotion or adherence, etc. (criticism; barbarism; Darwinism; despotism; plagiarism; realism; witticism; intellectualism ).
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ISM
ISMabbreviationinterstellar medium
ism
1 American
[iz-uhm]
/ ˈɪz əm /
noun
-ism
2
American
-ism
1
British
suffix
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indicating an action, process, or result
criticism
terrorism
-
indicating a state or condition
paganism
-
indicating a doctrine, system, or body of principles and practices
Leninism
spiritualism
-
indicating behaviour or a characteristic quality
heroism
-
indicating a characteristic usage, esp of a language
colloquialism
Scotticism
-
indicating prejudice on the basis specified
sexism
ageism
ISM
2
British
abbreviation
ism
3
British
/ ˈɪzəm /
noun
Etymology
Origin of ism1
Extracted from words with the suffix -ism
Origin of -ism2
From Greek -ismos, -isma noun suffixes, often directly, often through Latin -ismus, -isma, sometimes through French -isme, German -ismus (all ultimately from Greek )
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.
See Examples For:
Maybe national media outlets are cautious about deploying this ism, lest they be branded extreme, or lose audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2023
“What you worry about ism this is two hours a day, right?”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 8, 2020
Careerism is futile, yet somehow it is the only ism standing.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 23, 2020
Steve Weinstein in reply to Waterloo34 Apr 11th 2013 3:04 GMT Does everyone in the UK get an "ism" next to his/her name?
From Economist ● Apr. 9, 2013
Long, unfamiliar words ending in tion, ism, and actic, with more talk about “the people” thrown in for good measure, like Big Ma throwing a pinch of salt into the cake batter.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
We said, of course, yes, and brought the local publisher -ism into the mix to print the limited-edition zines that will be distributed at Halsey’s Frieze booth this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
It doesn’t seem like one -ism or -ation is entirely to blame, like globalism or immigration, capitalism or inflation.
From Slate ● Oct. 12, 2024
"We have one more -ism in our history: Stalinism," says Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Eurasia Russia Centre.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
Lemon's -ism appears have taproots into the frontal cortex of his cerebrum, entangled in a way that may be impossible for any amount of "formal training" to overcome.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2023
NOTE.—The suffix -ise, -ize, is of French origin, and is freely added to Latin roots in forming English derivatives. -ism = state or act of; idiom hero-ism Gallic-ism state of a hero. a French idiom.
From New Word-Analysis Or, School Etymology of English Derivative Words by William Swinton
“The outright level of close to 5% is looking attractive despite higher-than-expected ISM service prices released yesterday,” he said in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The ISM data on services activity in September is due on Monday, followed by August trade data on Tuesday, weekly jobless claims Thursday and the University of Michigan’s preliminary October sentiment survey on Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Susan Spence, chair of the ISM manufacturing business survey, who authored the report, said in an interview that she’s “starting to see warning signs” that customers are not spending money on orders.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
ISM Chair Susan Spence said U.S. manufacturing activity lost ground in key measures, including new orders, backlog and imports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The Termination ISM is always us'd but as one Syllable; as Where griesly Schism and raging Strife appear.Cowl.
From The Art of English Poetry (1708) by Edward Bysshe
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
