noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:[ˈkɒm.ju.nɪ.zm̩]
US:[ˈkɑ.mju.nɪ.zm̩]
US:[ˈkɑ.mjə.nɪ.zm̩]
Australian:[ˈkɔm.jə.nɪ.zm̩]
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/kɒ.mjə.nɪ.zəm/
/kɒ.mjʊ.nɪ.zəm/RP, conservative
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AA1 M Y AH0 N IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any far-left political ideology or philosophy advocating holding the production of resources collectively, especially by seizing it through revolution.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: aspheterism
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any political social system that implements a communist political philosophy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The international socialist society where classes, money, and the state no longer exist.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Any left-wing ideology, government regulations, or policies promoting a welfare state, nationalisation, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey- Proto-Indo-European *ḱom-moy-ni-s Proto-Italic *kommoinis Old Latin comoinis Latin commūnis Old French comun French commun Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ῐσμός (-ĭsmós)der. Latin -ismusbor. French -isme French communismebor. English communism A borrowing from French communisme, which was formed from commun (“common”) (from Latin commūnis) and the suffix -isme (“-ism”). By surface analysis, commune + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
185 source translations are retained for this English entry.