laissez-faire

noun

lais·​sez-faire ˌle-ˌsā-ˈfer 

ˌlā-,

-ˌzā- 

1

: a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights

argued that the problem with oil prices was too much laissez-faire

2

: a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action

the university has a policy of laissez-faire regarding nonacademic student activities

laissez-faire adjective

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

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

This bipartisan consensus reflects a growing trend among economists and experts, who are now revising the unfettered free-trade and laissez-faire attitudes that defined U.S. economic policymaking for decades. —Steven Tian, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2024

Schwarzenegger — a strong environmentalist with a laissez-faire attitude on social issues — stood well to the left of the California Republican base. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French laissez faire, imperative of laisser faire to let (people) do (as they choose)

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

laissez-faire

noun

lais·​sez-faire

ˌle-ˌsā-ˈfa(ə)r,

ˌlā-,

-ˌzā-,

-ˈfe(ə)r

: a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs

laissez-faire adjective

Etymology

from the French phrase laissez faire "let (people) do (as they choose)"