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Ideology was coined during which century?

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ideology

American  

[ahy-dee-ol-uh-jee, id-ee-] / ˌaɪ diˈɒl ə dʒi, ˌɪd i- /

noun

• ideologies
  plural

1. the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group.

2. such a body of doctrine, myth, etc., with reference to some political and social plan, as that of fascism, along with the devices for putting it into operation.

3. Philosophy.

   1. the study of the nature and origin of ideas.

   2. a system that derives ideas exclusively from sensation.

4. theorizing of a visionary or impractical nature.

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ideology British  

/ ˌaɪdɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a body of ideas that reflects the beliefs and interests of a nation, political system, etc and underlies political action

2. philosophy sociol the set of beliefs by which a group or society orders reality so as to render it intelligible

3. speculation that is imaginary or visionary

4. the study of the nature and origin of ideas

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ideology Cultural  

1. A system of beliefs or theories, usually political, held by an individual or a group. Capitalism, communism, and socialism are usually called ideologies.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ideological
  adjective
• ideologically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ideologies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ideology

First recorded in 1790–1800; ideo- + -logy

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Explanation

An ideology is a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or an individual. Very often ideology refers to a set of political beliefs or a set of ideas that characterize a particular culture. Capitalism, communism, socialism, and Marxism are ideologies. But not all -ism words are. Think: cronyism (a system of graft whereby friends unfairly help each other make money.) Our English noun is from French idéologie. The suffix –logy, used with many English words describing theories or doctrines, is from Greek logos "word, reason, speech, account."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ideology ideologies

It wasn’t ideology that made me want to claw the stubble off my own face.

From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026

Her message aims to appeal to voters’ interests and not just their ideology, a rejection of the idea that she’s someone who doesn’t belong in this country.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

Tebas later said he was drawing comparison with "those propaganda techniques" and "not with an ideology".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

They demonstrated their ideology during their dramatic comeback in Game 2 of the division series.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

This was the first manifestation of what I came to learn was bedrock Jesse ideology: He distrusted almost all authority and bureaucracy.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Cdr Flanagan said the police investigation found Shah was being drawn into extremist material and ideologies "when he was only 13 or 14 years old".

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

One key objection was the mature tone of the narrative, in which the child protagonist is directly confronted and endangered by the evils derived from fascist ideologies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Baum has stressed that "my family and I firmly reject extremist ideologies and will not accept the AfD's appropriation of our name".

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Crucially, as Wilcox and Stone see it, both faith-based and feminist ideologies can push dads toward greater involvement, turning conservative-religious and liberal fathers into mirror images.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

“I’m talking about the ideologies that split Korea into North and South,” he says.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

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Related Words

• creed
• culture
• dogma
• outlook
• philosophy
• theory
• view

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