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Today’s Word

Part of Speech

noun

Definition

1. A belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs.
2. A social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people.
3. Belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, social, or economic life.

History

First used in 1874, egalitarianism comes to the English language from the French. We fashioned egalitarian from their égalitaire “egalitarian” (which comes from the Latin aequalitas “equality”), and then added our -ism to it. The word first appeared in English in the late 19th century; our current earliest citation is from 1874, in The Times of India: “Before the Revolution the officers of one regiment welcomed brother corps with champagne suppers, but egalitarianism has brought us down to punch at five francs the bowl. . . .” The word has seen a subtle shift in meaning. Its earliest use was typically in reference to a belief in human equality; it has since taken on the sense “a social philosophy that advocates the removal of inequality among people.”

~egalitarianism

Synonyms

social democrat, populist

Antonyms

elitist, pretentious

Usage and Examples

Here are a couple of examples:

• Jack knew the biggest lie was about American egalitarianism, the belief that everyone is equal in status.
• Georgie knew that ethnic and racial egalitarianism was far from a reality in the America in which he lived.