Definition of EGALITARIANISM (original) (raw)

: a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs

: a social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people

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Egalitarianism comes to the English language from the French. We fashioned egalitarian from their égalitaire “egalitarian” (which comes from the Latin aequalitas “equality”), and then added our -ism to it. The word first appeared in English in the late 19th century; our current earliest citation is from 1874, in The Times of India: “Before the Revolution the officers of one regiment welcomed brother corps with champagne suppers, but egalitarianism has brought us down to punch at five francs the bowl. . . ." The word has seen a subtle shift in meaning. Its earliest use was typically in reference to a belief in human equality; it has since taken on the sense “a social philosophy that advocates the removal of inequality among people.”

Examples of egalitarianism in a Sentence

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Prasad, for instance, thinks there’s a kind of egalitarianism that’s inherent in English and missing from its Indian alternatives. —Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024 Concert hall designers often pursue a different strategy, privileging intimacy and approximate egalitarianism over the architectural expression of status. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024 But such a move risks undermining the universal standards that undergird the military’s egalitarianism and common culture — critical advantages in the crucible of combat. —Gil Barndollar, Vox, 1 Sep. 2024 The second is the idea of symmetry, which involves feelings of egalitarianism and reciprocity in a friendship. —Terry Ward, CNN, 4 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for egalitarianism