English Reference
noun

socialism

n.
US /ˈsoʊʃəˌɫɪzəm/ UK /sˈəʊʃəlˌɪzəm/ so·cial·ism

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate American EnglishInformal

    a word used to describe government programs like healthcare or taxes that help the public.

    a broad application of the term to any government-funded social welfare program or regulatory policy.

    Simple

    Some people argue that universal healthcare is a form of socialism.

    In context

    In certain political circles, any increase in corporate regulation is reflexively labelled as socialism, regardless of the actual economic model being proposed.

    welfare statestatism
    libertarianismfree market

Attested since 1832; either from French socialisme or from social + -ism.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin French socialisme
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated