populism

[ pop-yuh-liz-uhm ]

/ ˈpɒp yəˌlɪz əm /

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noun

any of various, often antiestablishment or anti-intellectual political movements or philosophies that offer unorthodox solutions or policies and appeal to the common person rather than according with traditional party or partisan ideologies.

grass-roots democracy; working-class activism; egalitarianism.

representation or extolling of the common person, the working class, the underdog, etc.: populism in the arts.

(initial capital letter) the political philosophy of the People's party.

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Origin of populism

1890–95, Americanism;<Latin popul(us) people + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM populism

an·ti-pop·u·lism, noun

Words nearby populism

population genetics, population inversion, population parameter, population pressure, population pyramid, populism, populist, Populist party, populist shop steward, populous, pop-up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use populism in a sentence

There’s a reason populism has enjoyed a moment for the last decade or so.
Why Legacy Wealth Is an Easy Target to Fund Infrastructure|Philip Elliott|August 20, 2021|Time
Most dangerously, it creates a sense of injustice and resentment that has stoked the right-wing populism that is shaking the foundations of liberal democracy.
How a New Deal for Global Taxation Might Save Democracy|Malcolm Turnbull|August 11, 2021|Time
As a child growing up in Minnesota in the 1930s and 1940s, Mondale sat in the front row of his father’s small Methodist church, listening to sermons that mixed Depression-bred economic populism with a concern for community.
Is Walter Mondale-style liberalism back?|Steven M. Gillon|April 22, 2021|Washington Post
She staved off populism, welcomed refugees and calmly guided Europe through multiple crises.
Can Germany Lead Without Merkel?|Nick Fouriezos|April 14, 2021|Ozy

The hollowing out of mid‑sized manufacturing cities in America’s Heartland has fueled the rise of populism on the right and left.
Eight in Ten Americans are Concerned About Partisanship. Here's How 'The Unum Test' Can Reunite America|Jonathan Haidt|April 13, 2021|Time
He has become the most radical pope in modern memory for his economic populism.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cohen thinks maybe some economic populism could work, and that could be true in limited circumstances.
Dems, It’s Time to Dump Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Will the party stand for economic populism, or will it welcome corporate and business allies?
Populists Go Down in Battle for the Soul of the Democratic Party|David Freedlander|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In addition to his temperamental aversion to populism, Roosevelt also had a practical reason to be cautious.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics|Michael Wolraich|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This populism has left little room for Hamdeen Sabahi, the only other candidate in the election.
Egypt Prepares to Anoint a Dictator and Call it an Election|Jesse Rosenfeld|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To discredit a new proposition it was only necessary to observe that it was as dead as Populism.
Contemporary American History, 1877-1913|Charles A. Beard
The whole program of Populism he now viewed as a "sudden, dangerous, and revolutionary assault upon law and order."
History of the United States|Charles A. Beard and Mary R. Beard
The mission of Populism did not end when free silver had been driven like a wedge into all the parties.
The New Nation|Frederic L. Paxson
If we fail to pass this agreement, we will embolden the purveyors of false populism in our hemisphere.
State of the Union Addresses of George W. Bush|George W. Bush
In the days of Populism they were more open-minded than the Americans.
The Old World in the New|Edward Alsworth Ross

British Dictionary definitions for populism

populism

/ (ˈpɒpjʊˌlɪzəm) /

noun

a political strategy based on a calculated appeal to the interests or prejudices of ordinary people

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

Cultural definitions for populism

populism

The belief that greater popular participation in government and business is necessary to protect individuals from exploitation by inflexible bureaucracy and financial conglomerates. “Power to the people” is a famous populist slogan.