fundamentalism

[ fuhn-duh-men-tl-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a religious movement characterized by a strict belief in the literal interpretation of religious texts, especially within American Protestantism and Islam.
2. the beliefs held by those in this movement.
3. strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles:

   the fundamentalism of the extreme conservatives.

fundamentalism

/ ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. Christianity (esp among certain Protestant sects) the belief that every word of the Bible is divinely inspired and therefore true
2. Islam a movement favouring strict observance of the teachings of the Koran and Islamic law
3. strict adherence to the fundamental principles of any set of beliefs

fundamentalism

1. A conservative movement in theology among nineteenth- and twentieth-century Christians (see also Christian ). Fundamentalists believe that the statements in the Bible (see also Bible ) are literally true.

Notes

Fundamentalists often argue against the theory of evolution . ( See Scopes trial .)

Derived Forms

• ˌfundaˈmentalist, nounadjective
• ˌfundaˌmentalˈistic, adjective

Other Words From

• funda·mental·ist noun adjective
• anti·funda·mental·ism noun
• anti·funda·mental·ist noun adjective
• nonfun·da·mental·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fundamentalism¹

1920–25, Americanism; fundamental + -ism; originally in reference to the American Protestant fundamentalism movement, which arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in reaction to modernism

Example Sentences

Importantly, Alito’s ideological fundamentalism is expressed in the outcomes of his judicial rulings, which have categorically advanced not only his far-right religious views but also his commitments to an unchecked, monarchical executive power that would have been anathema to the framers.

From Slate

In the world of Christian fundamentalism, for instance, this is a popular meme illustrating how they see family:

From Salon

In searching for a counterargument to the new right’s religious fundamentalism, Democrats sought to strike a balance: Recognize that many embrace religion, while neutralizing the potential risk of it to fracture their coalition.

From Slate

A lot of people described it as the "fundie baby voice," and you wrote that in fundamentalism, they want women to "sound like sexualized children."

From Salon

None of these obituaries mentioned the Powell memo, his manifesto for the Chamber of Commerce that exhorted big business into the culture wars and the battle to capture the judiciary, long viewed on the left as the right’s road map for spreading free-market fundamentalism into the courts.

From Slate