noun
-
a pronunciation, phrase, etc, peculiar to a particular locality
-
another word for provincialism
Other Word Forms
- localist noun
- localistic adjective
Etymology
Origin of localism
Explanation
Localism is a preference for the place where you live. Your localism might make it hard for you to understand people who come from other countries. Localism can range from a love for the town in which you live to a prejudice against other states or countries. A police officer who's accused of localism may have a habit of only giving speeding tickets to out-of-towners, for example. A more positive kind of localism might inspire you to buy vegetables that are grown nearby and purchase tools at the neighborhood hardware shop instead of at a store that is part of a national chain.
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.
“We always lean into the localism and the grassroots of it all and now we’re leaning into that even more.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025
The many state histories written in the aftermath of the Revolution were anything but celebrations of localism and diversity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
At the core of our mythic remembrance of that era is a sense of localism, a sense of working-class security and pride.
From BBC • May 24, 2025
That’s just baked into the system of localism.
From Slate • Feb. 18, 2022
If this is localism, what would its opposite look like?
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
