ism
noun
\ ˈi-zəm
\
\
Definition of ism
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory
2
: an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or belief
we all have got to come to grips with our isms— Joycelyn Elders
-ism
noun suffixDefinition of -ism (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: act : practice : process
criticism plagiarism
b
: manner of action or behavior characteristic of a (specified) person or thing
animalism
c
: prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a (specified) attribute
racism sexism
2a
: state : condition : property
barbarianism
b
: abnormal state or condition resulting from excess of a (specified) thing
alcoholism
or marked by resemblance to (such) a person or thing
giantism
3a
: doctrine : theory : religion
Buddhism
b
: adherence to a system or a class of principles
stoicism
4
: characteristic or peculiar feature or trait
colloquialism
Examples of ism in a Sentence
Noun
Cubism, Impressionism, and other artistic isms. ageism, racism, sexism, and all the other familiar ismsRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Your question pings like an old pinball machine — jack-of-all-trade-ism, job-hopping, restaurant work, anxiety, ping, ping, ping. — Carolyn Hax, The Mercury News, "Carolyn Hax: Does husband’s job-hopping point to ADHD?," 30 July 2019 Other nasty-isms afflict the campers in 1941: William, born a Jew in Lithuania, accuses his wife of anti-Semitism. — Bethanne Patrick, Washington Post, "In Susan Richards Shreve’s ‘More News Tomorrow,’ a woman takes her family on a harrowing adventure," 6 June 2019 Naturally, the video was full of Will-isms — nuggets of wisdom that have made the Aladdin star famous. — Paula Rogo, Essence, "'Never Break Two Laws At One Time': Will Smith Drops Laughs And Wisdom At Jaden’s 21st Birthday Party," 15 July 2019 Many affordable housing advocates say NIMBYism contributes to rising housing costs, so Carson’s support of YIMBY-ism is a both a zig and a zag. — Jeff Andrews, Curbed, "HUD won one court battle, lost another under Ben Carson in 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 And so, in the quest to achieve complete understanding, a dictionary of Solari-isms has been developed. — Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times, "Inside the Solari-isms that have helped unleash the Seahawks’ resurgent offensive line," 31 Oct. 2018 She was challenged by sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), who had her own knee-jerk reactions based on knee-jerk PC-isms. — Lorraine Ali, latimes.com, "With a racist tweet, Roseanne Barr not only lost a job but also silenced a vital voice: Roseanne Conner's," 30 May 2018 After sharing some fond memories, Colbert took the opportunity to have the world’s most famous drag queen personally explain some Ru-isms. — Tracy Brown, latimes.com, "RuPaul gives Stephen Colbert a lesson in 'Drag Race' vocabulary," 25 Jan. 2018 Journal-isms is originally published on journal-isms.com. — Richard Prince, The Root, "Obama Was More Aware of Racism Than We Saw," 27 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ism
ism
noun
English Language Learners Definition of ism
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a belief, attitude, style, etc., that is referred to by a word that ends in the suffix -ism
-ism
noun suffixEnglish Language Learners Definition of -ism (Entry 2 of 2)
: the act, practice, or process of doing something
: behavior like that of a specified kind of person or thing
: unfair treatment of a group of people who have a particular quality
See the full definition for -ism in the English Language Learners Dictionary
-ism
noun suffix
\ ˌi-zəm\
Kids Definition of -ism
1
: act : practice : process
baptism criticism
2
: manner of action or behavior like that of a specified person or thing
heroism
3
: state : condition
alcoholism
4
: teachings : theory : system
socialism