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
Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
In 2019, the late Queen Elizabeth II was photographed, rather casually, with her hands in the pockets of her white tweed dress — causing a stir amongst royalists for her laissez-faire body language.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 17 Feb. 2025
Any Democratic candidate in 2028, whether an economic populist or, like Smith, an independent centrist, will have to align with laissez-faire social-liberal politics.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2025
Even in countries such as the United States that have relatively small, laissez-faire governments, this authority creates a plethora of opportunities for leaders to reward allies and punish opponents.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Laissez-faire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laissez-faire. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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