localism

[loh-kuh-liz-uhm]

noun

1. a word, phrase, pronunciation, or manner of speaking that is peculiar to one locality.

2. a local custom.

3. excessive devotion to and promotion of the interests of a particular locality; sectionalism.

4. attachment to a particular locality.

localism

/ ˈləʊkəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a pronunciation, phrase, etc, peculiar to a particular locality

2. another word for provincialism

Other Word Forms

• localist noun
• localistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of localism¹

First recorded in 1815–25; local + -ism

Example Sentences

The Federal Communications Commission said Skydance agreed to commit to “viewpoint diversity, nondiscrimination and enhanced localism” in its news coverage when the agency announced its approval of the deal.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Surfers can be notoriously territorial, and while I didn’t encounter any hostile localism at Westport, surfing’s growing popularity in Western Washington, combined with limited jetty parking, may occasionally raise tensions.

From Seattle Times

As you read the list keep in mind that localism of ownership is critical and that newspapers should never again become controlled by absent investors who do not care about our communities.

From Seattle Times

Childhood memories, marketing and a fashion for localism came together to make milk tea a totem of Hong Kong culture.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• accent 
• idiom 
• jargon 
• language 
• lingo 
• patois 
• pronunciation 
• slang 
• terminology 
• tongue 
• vernacular 
• vocabulary