tribalism

[trahy-buh-liz-uhm]

noun

1. the customs and beliefs of tribal life and society.

2. strong loyalty to one's own tribe, party, or group.

   the tribalism of New Yorkers.

tribalism

/ ˈtraɪbəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the state of existing as a separate tribe or tribes

2. the customs and beliefs of a tribal society

3. loyalty to a tribe or tribal values

Other Word Forms

• tribalist noun
• tribalistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tribalism¹

First recorded in 1885–90; tribal + -ism

Example Sentences

Speaking from Canterbury Cathedral, she said that "in an age that craves certainty and tribalism, Anglicanism offers something quieter but stronger".

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Other factors in why right-wing Christians are more likely to support Trumpism include authoritarian personalities, social dominance orientation, tribalism and the role that whiteness and racism play in American evangelical Christianity.

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But yet our instinct toward nationalism and tribalism keeps us in this constant state of ‘us’ against ‘them.’

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I think it is because we as a species yearn for that connection as much as we have been whipped up into tribalism and propagandized into tribalism.

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As it draws to a close, Hwang’s lethal playground games are cautionary parables about tribalism driven by greed.

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