populism
noun
pop·u·lism
ˈpä-pyə-ˌli-zəm 
plural populisms
1
: a political philosophy or movement that represents or is claimed to represent the interests of ordinary people especially against the Establishment (see establishment sense 2a)
Populism usually arises from a general discontent. … People feel that things are out of control, socially and economically. … The idea that this is the fault of the meritocratic elite is an easy sell.—
Nicholas Lemann
Nicholas Lemann… anti-government populism is beginning to give way to the more classic, anti-corporate populism …—Leslie Savan
Leslie Savan… Elizabeth Warren summoned the familiar and fiery spirits of Democratic populism. "Our job is to fight for the families of America," the Massachusetts Senator yelled over applause. … "Stitch up the tax loopholes so that millionaires and billionaires pay at the same tax rate as the people in this room."—Jay Newton-Small
Jay Newton-SmallThere are few things more terrifying than demagogic populism, sharpened dangerously into authoritarian rule, with minorities left at the mercy of those now in charge of writing and enforcing the laws.—George Takei
George TakeiThe move comes amid a rise in economic populism in the GOP, Republican strategist John Feehery told the Washington Examiner. Even as the party writ large is generally supportive of the business community, an insurgent crop of Republican lawmakers is pursuing a more working-class-friendly agenda …—Samantha-Jo Roth
Samantha-Jo Roth
sometimes, specifically
: the political and economic doctrines advocated by the Populists (see populist entry 1 sense 1b)
… the nativist populism of the 1890s, the political and social movement of poor and dispossessed farmers who saw the source of their plight as the controllers of money and the rule of gold … —Daniel Bell
Daniel Bell 2
: general concern for ordinary people
… a profile of James Brown in Look, in February of 1969. The article celebrated Mr. Brown's business empire … and his populism (traveling a hundred thousand miles a year to reach three million fans where they lived; capping ticket prices at five dollars for adults and ninety-nine cents for children under twelve) …—Philip Gourevitch
Philip GourevitchExamples of populism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Biden, the nation’s oldest commander-in-chief, strode stiffly into the ceremony flanked by Harris after both failed to deliver on Democratic hopes to turn the page on the era of Trump’s bombastic populism.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2025
Just look at Europe’s inflation and energy crisis driving voters to populism.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2025
That too was a surge of populism, long before the term was in use.
—Ron Elving, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Trump’s reelection, however, coincides with a new rise of populism in Europe, as exemplified by gains made by far-right ultranationalist parties in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia, and most recently in Romania.
—Arancha González Laya, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2025
Such interpretations elide the actual history of populism in America.
—Harry Boyte and Trygve Throntveit, TIME, 4 Jan. 2025
Democracy is in recession in all quarters of the globe, including in the West, where political centrism has been steadily losing ground to illiberal populism.
—Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Across Western democracies and beyond, the rise of right-wing populism is reshaping political landscapes, forcing progressives to grapple with shifting cultural and economic realities that put them increasingly out of step with an angry electorate.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
Facing a lack of potency, others on the left are trying a newer strategy that seeks to merge some of their more palatable progressive goals with areas of populism favored by Trump.
—Hanna Trudo, The Hill, 2 Jan. 2025
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Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2025
Just look at Europe’s inflation and energy crisis driving voters to populism.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2025
That too was a surge of populism, long before the term was in use.
—Ron Elving, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Trump’s reelection, however, coincides with a new rise of populism in Europe, as exemplified by gains made by far-right ultranationalist parties in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia, and most recently in Romania.
—Arancha González Laya, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2025
Such interpretations elide the actual history of populism in America.
—Harry Boyte and Trygve Throntveit, TIME, 4 Jan. 2025
Democracy is in recession in all quarters of the globe, including in the West, where political centrism has been steadily losing ground to illiberal populism.
—Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Across Western democracies and beyond, the rise of right-wing populism is reshaping political landscapes, forcing progressives to grapple with shifting cultural and economic realities that put them increasingly out of step with an angry electorate.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
Facing a lack of potency, others on the left are trying a newer strategy that seeks to merge some of their more palatable progressive goals with areas of populism favored by Trump.
—Hanna Trudo, The Hill, 2 Jan. 2025
Dictionary Entries Near populism
Cite this Entry
“Populism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populism. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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