absolutism

noun

ab·​so·​lut·​ism ˈab-sə-ˌlü-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce absolutism (audio)
1
a
: a political theory that absolute power should be vested in one or more rulers
b
: government by an absolute ruler or authority : despotism
2
: advocacy of a rule by absolute standards or principles
3
: an absolute standard or principle
absolutist noun or adjective
absolutistic adjective

Examples of absolutism in a Sentence

concerning absolutism Lord Acton famously observed that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”
Recent Examples on the Web
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The political absolutism of Sartre was a way of asserting fearlessness: Nothing, not even the presence of the U.S. Army, can intimidate me! Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 But by the early seventeenth century the sovereigns of Britain, France, and elsewhere had begun to erode this medieval constitutionalism in favor of a new absolutism. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024 The selection of Vance clarified the party’s absolutism. Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 18 July 2024 Like some other Republican senators of his generation (Tom Cotton, of Arkansas; Josh Hawley, of Missouri; and Marco Rubio, of Florida, among them), Vance often stressed the need for Republicans to break from the free-market absolutism of the past. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for absolutism 

Word History

Etymology

absolute + -ism (in political sense after French absolutisme)

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of absolutism was in 1823

Dictionary Entries Near absolutism

Cite this Entry

“Absolutism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absolutism. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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