nanny state

American

noun

a government perceived as authoritarian, interfering, or overprotective.

nanny state British

noun

a government that makes decisions for people that they might otherwise make for themselves, esp those relating to private and personal behaviour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nanny state

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

“It’s like a nanny state, or helicopter parenting.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Personal choice v nanny state; realism v idealism – there are few medical conditions that stir up such heated debate.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2024

Detractors, on the other hand, quickly challenge such policies as being the enactment of the "nanny state".

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2023

It wasn’t long ago we were America’s Singapore, a nanny state that might ticket you for anything from jaywalking to spitting to driving around with a noisy muffler.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2023

Such a perspective is not unlike the one Elder ascribes to the so-called nanny state, which he believes infantilizes people rather than allowing us to make decisions for ourselves.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023