Standard Lemma guide

constitutionalism

noun · 5 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: /ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃənəˌlɪzəm/
  • US: /ˌkɑnstɪˈtuʃənəˌlɪzəm/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A constitutional system of governance.

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

2

noun

Meaning 2

Adherence to constitutional principles.

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

Philosophical belief in government under a written constitution.

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

advocacy of a system of government according to constitutional principles

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: political orientation, ideology, political theory

5

noun

Meaning 5

a constitutional system of government (usually with a written constitution)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: political system, form of government

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English constitutional 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 -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English constitutionalism From constitutional + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: constitucionalisme — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Chinese Mandarin: 憲政 /宪政 (xiànzhèng) — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Chinese Mandarin: 憲政主義 /宪政主义 (xiànzhèngzhǔyì) — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Dutch: constitutionalisme — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Finnish: konstitutionalismi — belief in government under a written constitution
  • French: constitutionnalisme — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Galician: constitucionalismo — belief in government under a written constitution
  • German: Konstitutionalismus — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Indonesian: konstitusionalisme — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Italian: costituzionalismo — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Malay: faham perlembagaan — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Malay: konstitusionalisme — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Persian: مشروطیت (mašrutiyyat) — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Persian: مشروطهگرایی (mašrute-garâyi) — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Persian: مشروطهطلبی (mašrute-talabi) — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Persian: مشروطهخواهی (mašrute-xâhi) — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Polish: konstytucjonalizm — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Portuguese: constitucionalismo — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Spanish: constitucionalismo — belief in government under a written constitution
  • Turkish: anayasacılık — belief in government under a written constitution