chauvinism

[ shoh-vuh-niz-uhm ]
See synonyms for: chauvinismchauvinist on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. zealous and aggressive patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory.

  2. biased devotion to any group, attitude, or cause: religious chauvinism.

  1. the denigration, disparagement, and patronization of a particular gender based on the belief that one gender is inferior to another and thus deserving of less than equal treatment or benefit.: Compare male chauvinism.

Origin of chauvinism

1
First recorded in 1865–70; from French chauvinisme, equivalent to chauvin “jingo” (named after N. Chauvin, a soldier in Napoleon's army noted for loud-mouthed patriotism) + -isme -ism

Other words from chauvinism

  • chau·vin·ist, noun

Words Nearby chauvinism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chauvinism in a sentence

  • I became a feminist in the 1970s because I did not appreciate male chauvinism.

    And What About the Boys? | Ilana Glazer | February 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • But the proper corrective to chauvinism is not to reverse it and practice it against males, but rather basic fairness.

    And What About the Boys? | Ilana Glazer | February 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • They furnished a vivid but rather aggravating explanation for the existing backwardness and chauvinism of the commonwealth.

  • Our one desire was to get back to America, and we regarded Europe with the most ignorant chauvinism and contempt.

    Theodore Roosevelt | Theodore Roosevelt
  • He never stooped to pietistic clap-trap, or chanted the jaunty chauvinism that has so often caused the Hoosier stars to blink.

  • The old dregs of chauvinism, stirred by the Bonapartists, discharge their muddy waters.

  • In Japan, opinion ranged from imperialistic chauvinism to liberal recognition of the consortium as a way out of the mess.

    The Pacific Triangle | Sydney Greenbie

British Dictionary definitions for chauvinism

chauvinism

/ (ˈʃəʊvɪˌnɪzəm) /


noun
  1. aggressive or fanatical patriotism; jingoism

  2. enthusiastic devotion to a cause

  1. smug irrational belief in the superiority of one's own race, party, sex, etc: male chauvinism

Origin of chauvinism

1
C19: from French chauvinisme, after Nicolas Chauvin, legendary French soldier under Napoleon, noted for his vociferous and unthinking patriotism

Derived forms of chauvinism

  • chauvinist, noun
  • chauvinistic, adjective
  • chauvinistically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for chauvinism

chauvinism

Exaggerated belief in the supremacy of one's nation, class, caste, or group. Chauvinism usually involves xenophobia.

Notes for chauvinism

The word chauvinism is often used as shorthand for “male chauvinism,” a term describing the attitudes of men who believe that women are inferior and should not be given equal status with men. (See also feminism (see also feminism).)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.