Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A distinctive doctrine, system, or theory.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A doctrine, theory, system, or practice having a distinctive character or relation: chiefly used in disparagement: as, this is the age of isms; to set up an ism.
- noun A suffix implying the practice, system, doctrine, theory, principle, or abstract idea of that which is signified or implied by the word to which it is subjoined: as, dogmatism, spiritualism, socialism, Atticism, Americanism, Gallicism, terrorism, vandalism, republicanism, Mormonism, being especially common in nouns so formed from names of persons and designating theories, as Benthamism, Comtism, Darwinism, etc., or theories associated with practice, especially in words of temporary use, as Cæsarism, Jacksonism, Grantism, etc., such temporary words being formed as occasion requires, in unlimited numbers. Such words are usually accompanied by a noun of the agent in -ist, and an adj. in -istic, and often by a verb in -ize. See these suffixes.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A doctrine or theory; especially, a wild or visionary theory.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A belief that can be described by a word ending in
-ism . - noun Specifically, a form of discrimination, such as
racism orsexism .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I am shocked by the prejudices this camapaign has brought out from "under the jAmerican bed" and it seems the strongest "ism" is sexism.
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As the use of the term ism more clearly defines Mao’s contribution than the term “thought”, many parties in India and the world too switched to ‘ism’.
A Maoist critique of the CPI(Marxist) Abhay N 2007
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The use of the term ism is more scientific than that of “thought” and more aptly defines Mao’s contribution to proletarian theory; and just because the then CPC used “thought”, and there was no use of the term Maoism during Mao’s lifetime as mentioned by Biswas, does not mean that we should mechanically copy what was done then.
A Maoist critique of the CPI(Marxist) Abhay N 2007
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In my concerted effort to learn more about my new cellphone, I am left wondering why iPhone-ism is so hard to obtain in the world of electronic consumer gadgets.
Gil Laroya: The Reach For iPhone-ism Continues Gil Laroya 2010
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SOCIALISM, COMMUNISM, FACISM – which ism is it today?
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My favorite Randy-ism is that the opposition is all being orchestrated by Westsidaz and downtown types.
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Do you feel blatant babe-ism is a problem in the world of deer hunting tv?
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In my concerted effort to learn more about my new cellphone, I am left wondering why iPhone-ism is so hard to obtain in the world of electronic consumer gadgets.
Gil Laroya: The Reach For iPhone-ism Continues Gil Laroya 2010
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As I said before pure anything-ism is a bad thing.
The Volokh Conspiracy » So a Libertarian and a Liberal Walk into a Bar 2010
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Like Randy, who noticed that ‘Laffer curve-ism is still alive in well in the best circles of the conservative elite,’ I find the idea that conservatives know more about economics than some other group hilarious.
The Volokh Conspiracy » The Further Left You Are the Less You Know About Economics: 2010
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The team found that the circumgalactic medium (CGM), which is the gas that surrounds the exterior of these galaxies, probably plays a bigger role in their formation than the gas that exists between stars in the galaxies, which is called the interstellar medium (ISM).
'Nanopasta' Is 200 Times Smaller Than Human Hair Becky Ferreira 2024
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The team found that the circumgalactic medium (CGM), which is the gas that surrounds the exterior of these galaxies, probably plays a bigger role in their formation than the gas that exists between stars in the galaxies, which is called the interstellar medium (ISM).
'Nanopasta' Is 200 Times Smaller Than Human Hair Becky Ferreira 2024
reesetee commented on the word ism
"When it comes to -isms there isn't a single, satisfactory, all-encompassing, universally agreed definition, or even agreement on the fact that there isn't a single, satisfactory, all-encompassing, universally agreed definition of the
-ism in question. Whether it be realism, relativism, conservatism, liberalism, idealism, empiricism, communism, capitalism, fascism, feminism, gnosticism, aestheticism, asceticism, athleticism, mysticism, mesmerism, masochism, modernism, marxism, malapropism, or any other '-ism' that those mad for macaronicism, liable to lexiphanicism or smitten by sesquipedalianism are inclined to conjugate, the only thing that everyone knows for certain is that there is no certainty about the thing everyone 'knows.' The ism isn't."
--Stephen Brown, et al., Romancing the Market (1998), via WWFTD.
September 25, 2007
elgiad007 commented on the word ism
Didn't Ferris Bueller have something to say about isms?
November 22, 2008
celdjt commented on the word ism
I like the definition in a NYTimes crossword clue: ism - an academic conclusion.
December 6, 2008