What does "fascism" mean?
Any right-wing, authoritarian, nationalist ideology characterized by centralized, totalitarian governance, strong regimentation of the economy and society, and repression of criticism or opposition.
Fascism
/ˈfæʃɪz(ə)m/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any right-wing, authoritarian, nationalist ideology characterized by centralized, totalitarian governance, strong regimentation of the economy and society, and repression of criticism or opposition.
- Grammar: fascism is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: anti semitism, anti-semitism, apartheid, argumentum baculinum.
- Useful contrasts: anti-fascism, antifa, antifascism.
- Usage evidence: You can't equate nationalism with fascism.
How to use "fascism"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fascism" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
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- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fascism" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fascism" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any right-wing, authoritarian, nationalist ideology characterized by centralized, totalitarian governance, strong regimentation of the economy and society, and repression of criticism or opposition. uncountable, usually
"Fascism, at any rate the German version, is a form of capitalism that borrows from Socialism just such features as will make it efficient for war purposes... Ownership has never been abolished, there are still capitalists and workers, and—this is the important point, and the real reason why rich men all over the world tend to sympathize with Fascism—generally speaking the same people are capitalists and the same people workers as before the Nazi revolution. But at the same time the State, which is simply the Nazi Party, is in control of everything... The mere efficiency of such a system, the elimination of waste and obstruction, is obvious. In seven years it has built up the most powerful war machine the world has ever seen."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of fascism. alt-of, uncountable
"The author is not to blame for the fact that so much lying propaganda against the Communists has created a climate of opinion that paves the way for Fascism and a third world war. This study is concerned only with dispelling of fear, with opening the channels of communication, and with reversing the dangerous trend in the U.S.A. towards Fascism and a third world war."
- 3 a political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to democracy or liberalism) wordnet
- 4 Any right-wing, authoritarian, nationalist ideology characterized by centralized, totalitarian governance, strong regimentation of the economy and society, and repression of criticism or opposition.; The ideology and practice of the 20th-century Italian movement from which this name came. uncountable, usually
"Today "Fascism" like Russian "Bolshevism" does not know what freedom means and cares less about the principles of liberty and the rights of man. It knows only one law and that is the will of Mussolini and his band of "Black Shirts.""
- 5 Any system of strong autocracy or oligarchy usually to the extent of bending and breaking the law, race-baiting, and/or violence against largely unarmed populations. broadly, derogatory, uncountable, usually
"...even the people who recklessly fling the word ‘Fascist’ in every direction attach at any rate an emotional significance to it. By ‘Fascism’ they mean, roughly speaking, something cruel, unscrupulous, arrogant, obscurantist, anti-liberal and anti-working-class. Except for the relatively small number of Fascist sympathizers, almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Any extreme reliance on or enforcement of rules and regulations. derogatory, figuratively, uncountable, usually
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You can't equate nationalism with fascism."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fascism"?
Common synonyms include: anti semitism, anti-semitism, apartheid, argumentum baculinum, authoritarian government, authoritarianism.
How do you use "fascism" in a sentence?
You can't equate nationalism with fascism.
How do you pronounce "fascism"?
Pronounced /ˈfæʃɪz(ə)m/.
Etymology
From Italian fascismo, from fascio (“fasces, bundle, group”) + -ismo (“-ism”) with direct reference to Benito Mussolini's fasci di combattimento ("fight clubs"), from Latin fasces, bundles of axes and rods carried before the magistrates of the ancient Roman Republic as representative of their power of life and death. Originally with exclusive reference to Fascist Italy which used the fasces as an emblem, later broadened to describe all of the Axis Powers of World War II, and subsequently used as a general term of opprobrium in English and international political discourse. Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰask- Latin fascis Italian fascio Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. Latin -ismus Italian -ismo Italian fascismolbor. English fascism