Originalism
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The view that a text should be interpreted according to the intent of its original authors. uncountable, usually
"I've known Badalamenti since then, and have chatted with him over the years. Last fall, I spoke at the originalism conference he organized, which hosted the entire Florida Supreme Court, several members of the Eleventh Circuit, and scholars from across the ideological spectrum. I include these facts to show the high regard that Badalamenti is held in by his community."
- 2 the belief that the United States Constitution should be interpreted in the way the authors originally intended it wordnet
Example
More examples"I've known Badalamenti since then, and have chatted with him over the years. Last fall, I spoke at the originalism conference he organized, which hosted the entire Florida Supreme Court, several members of the Eleventh Circuit, and scholars from across the ideological spectrum. I include these facts to show the high regard that Badalamenti is held in by his community."
Etymology
From original + -ism.
More for "originalism"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.