laissez-faire
noun
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The French phrase laissez faire literally means “allow to do,” with the idea being “let people do as they choose.” The origins of laissez-faire are associated with the Physiocrats, a group of 18th-century French economists who believed that government policy should not interfere with the operation of natural economic laws. (The actual coiner of the phrase may have been French economist Vincent de Gournay, or it may have been François Quesnay, who is considered the group’s founder and leader.) The original phrase was “laissez faire, laissez passer,” with the second part meaning “let (things) pass.” Laissez-faire, which first showed up in an English context in the first half of the 19th century, can still mean “a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs,” but it is also used in broader contexts in which a “hands-off” or “anything-goes” policy or attitude is adopted. It is frequently used as an adjective meaning “favoring a ‘hands-off’ policy,” as in “laissez-faire economics.”
Examples of laissez-faire in a Sentence
Jason Miller, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
His Democratic opponent Kamala Harris meanwhile, while supportive of the industry, has taken a less laissez-faire approach.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Leadership styles can vary, from autocratic to laissez-faire, and each type sets a specific tone in the workplace.
—Kate Wieczorek, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
His vision is in line with that of the Valley’s anarcho-capitalist subculture, in which maximalist thought experiments in laissez-faire governance are taken seriously.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near laissez-faire
Cite this Entry
“Laissez-faire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laissez-faire. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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