Glasnost
noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 1980s and early 1990s policy of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev to allow more government transparency; often paired with perestroika countable, historical, uncountable
"Gorbachev would introduce glasnost (openness and freedom) and perestroika (economic restructuring) to Russia under his tenure, ultimately freeing thousands of political prisoners and dissidents and trying to address the shortages in food and goods that had become the hallmarks of the failing Soviet economy."
- 2 a policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems wordnet
Example
More examples"Gorbachev would introduce glasnost (openness and freedom) and perestroika (economic restructuring) to Russia under his tenure, ultimately freeing thousands of political prisoners and dissidents and trying to address the shortages in food and goods that had become the hallmarks of the failing Soviet economy."
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian гла́сность (glásnostʹ, “openness”).
Related phrases
More for "glasnost"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.