Meanings
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1
noun
a distinctive doctrine, theory, cause, or movement, especially one named with the suffix -ism
The critic distrusted every political ism that promised a perfect society.
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2
noun
a form of prejudice or discrimination identified by a word ending in -ism
The workshop examined racism, ageism, and every related ism in workplace policy.
Thesaurus
Etymology
The noun was formed from the suffix -ism and came to mean any doctrine or movement bearing that ending. The suffix reached English through French and Latin from Greek -ismos, which formed nouns denoting actions, practices, states, or systems of belief.