Zionism

[ zahy-uh-niz-uhm ]

noun

1. a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel and that now supports the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland.

Zionism

/ ˈzaɪəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a political movement for the establishment and support of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine, now concerned chiefly with the development of the modern state of Israel
2. a policy or movement for Jews to return to Palestine from the Diaspora

Zionism

1. The belief that Jews (see also Jews ) should have their own nation; Jewish nationalism . Zionism gained much support among Jews and others in the early twentieth century, and the hoped-for nation was established in the late 1940s in Palestine , as the state of Israel . Zionism is opposed by most Arabs. ( See Arab-Israeli conflict .)

Derived Forms

• ˌZionˈistic, adjective
• ˈZionist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• Zi·on·ist noun adjective
• Zi·on·is·tic adjective
• Zi·on·ite [zahy, -, uh, nahyt], noun
• an·ti-Zi·on·ism noun
• an·ti-Zi·on·ist noun adjective
• non-Zi·on·ist noun adjective
• pro-Zi·on·ism noun
• pro-Zi·on·ist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Zionism¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; Zion + -ism

Example Sentences

The words “Zionist” or “Zionism” also did not appear in the survey.

From Los Angeles Times

Likewise, the ideology of Zionism that tries to justify Israeli policies is supposed to get a pass no matter what — while opponents, including many Jews, are liable to be denounced as antisemites.

From Salon

But to many Jews, Zionism — the belief in a Jewish state in the ancestral Jewish homeland — is key to Jewish identity.

From Los Angeles Times

Gil says only this can avoid “the national religious conflict that has existed for 100 years, since Zionism existed, between the Palestinian population and the Jewish population”.

From BBC

But to many other Jews, Zionism — the belief in a Jewish state in the ancestral Jewish homeland — is a key part of Jewish identity.

From Los Angeles Times