paternalism

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the practice of limiting people's choices while claiming to act for their own good

   Critics called the ban paternalism because adults could judge the risk themselves.

2. 2
   noun

   fatherly treatment or governance, sometimes caring and sometimes controlling

   The manager's paternalism made the workplace feel safe but infantilizing.

From paternal + -ism; paternal comes from Latin paternus, from pater (father). The political sense casts authority as a father deciding for dependents.

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