Laissez faire

//ˌlɛ(ˌ)seɪ ˈfɛəɹ// adj, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Practicing or representing governmental noninterference, or minimal interference, especially in economic affairs; pertaining to free-market capitalism.

    "I think the city should take a laissez faire approach to this; getting involved would only make things worse."

  2. 2
    Advocating such noninterference.

    "The Senator claims to be laissez faire, but he voted in favor of the subsidies."

  3. 3
    Resulting from such noninterference.

    "The price ceiling was well below the laissez faire price that demand would have supported, so there were always shortages."

  4. 4
    Avoiding interference in other people's affairs; choosing to live and let live.
Noun
  1. 1
    A policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs. uncountable

    "In brief, all this Mammon-Gospel of Supply-and-demand, Competition, Laissez-faire, and Devil take the hindmost, begins to be one of the shabbiest Gospels ever preached on Earth; or altogether the shabbiest."

  2. 2
    the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs wordnet
  3. 3
    A policy of non-interference by authority in any competitive process. uncountable

Etymology

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French laissez faire (“leave it be”, literally “let do”).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French laissez faire (“leave it be”, literally “let do”).

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