protectionist

noun

pro·​tec·​tion·​ist prə-ˈtek-sh(ə-)nist How to pronounce protectionist (audio)
: an advocate of government economic protection for domestic producers through restrictions on foreign competitors
protectionism noun
protectionist adjective

Examples of protectionist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
President Donald Trump ‘s protectionist trade policy stoked fears of an economic slowdown, causing a month-long pullback in the S & P 500 that last week dragged it into a correction. Yun Li, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025 Irwin’s book also highlights another fact about the McKinley Tariff Act that should worry latter-day protectionists in the Trump Administration. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025 These include abusing antitrust to hobble or loot American high-tech companies and, before long, could also encompass deployment of the bloc’s climate policy for protectionist ends with measures such as Brussels’ Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The Editors, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025 An instrumental view of research—as a way of producing public policy—leads inevitably to a protectionist, defensive stance toward research. Jacob Hale Russell, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for protectionist

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of protectionist was in 1834

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Cite this Entry

“Protectionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protectionist. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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