subsidiarity
Britishnoun
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(in the Roman Catholic Church) a principle of social doctrine that all social bodies exist for the sake of the individual so that what individuals are able to do, society should not take over, and what small societies can do, larger societies should not take over
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(in political systems) the principle of devolving decisions to the lowest practical level
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.
But he said history makes clear that Europe is a common home to many, and he called for Europe to “revitalize its vocation to solidarity and subsidiarity today.”
From Seattle Times • Nov. 11, 2021
Instead, he’s trying to reconcile the ongoing tension outlined in Catholic social teaching, between solidarity and subsidiarity, between what the state owes its people and what those people owe one another.
From Slate • Feb. 17, 2021
Mr. Halpin also tosses aside an idea, subsidiarity, that Catholic and non-Catholic political theorists have long found compelling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2016
So what does subsidiarity look like in education?
From US News • Sep. 27, 2016
Not all Catholics favor certain applications of subsidiarity, especially when it comes to welfare reform and other poverty programs.
From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2016
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.
