retreatism

American

[ri-tree-tiz-uhm] / rɪˈtri tɪz əm /

noun

Sociology.

the rejection of culturally prescribed goals and the conventional means for attaining them.

Other Word Forms

retreatist noun

Etymology

Origin of retreatism

retreat + -ism

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.

“The governor has an opportunity to contrast a bold, well-thought-out foreign policy with Mr. Trump’s opaque retreatism,” Ms. Strassel wrote.

From New York Times

The New York Herald Tribune, aware that isolationism was not the word for the Hoover Doctrine, decided to call it "retreatism."

From Time Magazine Archive

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