Laissez faire
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 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 the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs wordnet
- 3 A policy of non-interference by authority in any competitive process. uncountable
- 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 Advocating such noninterference.
"The Senator claims to be laissez faire, but he voted in favor of the subsidies."
- 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 Avoiding interference in other people's affairs; choosing to live and let live.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"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."
Etymology
Borrowed from French laissez faire (“leave it be”, literally “let do”).