populism
noun
pop·u·lism
ˈpä-pyə-ˌli-zəm 
plural populisms
1
: a political philosophy or movement that represents or is claimed to represent the interests of ordinary people especially against the Establishment (see establishment sense 2a)
Populism usually arises from a general discontent. … People feel that things are out of control, socially and economically. … The idea that this is the fault of the meritocratic elite is an easy sell.—
Nicholas Lemann
Nicholas Lemann… anti-government populism is beginning to give way to the more classic, anti-corporate populism …—Leslie Savan
Leslie Savan… Elizabeth Warren summoned the familiar and fiery spirits of Democratic populism. "Our job is to fight for the families of America," the Massachusetts Senator yelled over applause. … "Stitch up the tax loopholes so that millionaires and billionaires pay at the same tax rate as the people in this room."—Jay Newton-Small
Jay Newton-SmallThere are few things more terrifying than demagogic populism, sharpened dangerously into authoritarian rule, with minorities left at the mercy of those now in charge of writing and enforcing the laws.—George Takei
George TakeiThe move comes amid a rise in economic populism in the GOP, Republican strategist John Feehery told the Washington Examiner. Even as the party writ large is generally supportive of the business community, an insurgent crop of Republican lawmakers is pursuing a more working-class-friendly agenda …—Samantha-Jo Roth
Samantha-Jo Roth
sometimes, specifically
: the political and economic doctrines advocated by the Populists (see populist entry 1 sense 1b)
… the nativist populism of the 1890s, the political and social movement of poor and dispossessed farmers who saw the source of their plight as the controllers of money and the rule of gold … —Daniel Bell
Daniel Bell 2
: general concern for ordinary people
… a profile of James Brown in Look, in February of 1969. The article celebrated Mr. Brown's business empire … and his populism (traveling a hundred thousand miles a year to reach three million fans where they lived; capping ticket prices at five dollars for adults and ninety-nine cents for children under twelve) …—Philip Gourevitch
Philip GourevitchExamples of populism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His pro-labor philosophy echoed Nebraska’s legacy of prairie populism, notably the founding of the People’s Party in the 1890s, which criticized Republicans and Democrats for failing to protect workers and farmers.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Typical of the Film Center’s creative populism, the retrospective works like a mixer.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
Kirk emerged from the lockdowns a Christian nationalist culture warrior determined to fuse his new ideology with MAGA populism.
—Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
The filmmaker also sees the story as a universal one given the rise of populism in politics around the world.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
Benjamin Wallace-Wells has explored the disruptive efforts to downsize the government—and how, ultimately, these moves are not aligned with the populism of the Republican Party.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2025
While anti-intellectualism and populism are nothing new in American life, there has hardly been an administration as seemingly committed to these worldviews.
—Dominik Stecuła, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
But few things provoked a more consistently ambivalent posture from Buckley than populism.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 19 Dec. 2024
The film deals with the transition from populism in Argentina and the influence of American intervention in Latin America, reflecting on the country’s history over the past 50-60 years.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Feb. 2025
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Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Typical of the Film Center’s creative populism, the retrospective works like a mixer.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
Kirk emerged from the lockdowns a Christian nationalist culture warrior determined to fuse his new ideology with MAGA populism.
—Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
The filmmaker also sees the story as a universal one given the rise of populism in politics around the world.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
Benjamin Wallace-Wells has explored the disruptive efforts to downsize the government—and how, ultimately, these moves are not aligned with the populism of the Republican Party.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2025
While anti-intellectualism and populism are nothing new in American life, there has hardly been an administration as seemingly committed to these worldviews.
—Dominik Stecuła, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
But few things provoked a more consistently ambivalent posture from Buckley than populism.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 19 Dec. 2024
The film deals with the transition from populism in Argentina and the influence of American intervention in Latin America, reflecting on the country’s history over the past 50-60 years.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Populism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populism. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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