noun · 6 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
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General-American:/ˈsteɪdɪzm/
General-American:/ˈsteɪdɪzəm/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈsteɪtɪzm/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈsteɪtɪzəm/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S T EY1 T IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Synonym of secularism: subservience of religious issues to political officials and expediency.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: secularism
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Synonym of statecraft or statesmanship.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: statecraft or statesmanship
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Synonym of government or governance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: government or governance
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The belief that most or all political power should be centralized in national governments.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, often, uncountable
Qualifier: political philosophy
Examples
Near-synonyms: big government, dirigisme
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: etatism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, big government, dirigisme
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: paternalism
5
noun
Meaning 5
The belief that most or nearly all political power should be decentralized to provincial governments.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, often, uncountable
Qualifier: political philosophy
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: regionalism, federalism, provincialism
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
The belief that the state is a legitimate social institution.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, often, uncountable
Qualifier: political philosophy
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: anarchism
History
Etymology
From stat(e) + -ism. Doublet of etatism. First attested in c. 1600.
Across languages
Translations
24 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
държавен контрол
(dǎržaven kontrol)
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Catalan:
estatisme
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Chinese Cantonese:
國家主義 /国家主义
(gwok3 gaa1 zyu2 ji6)
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Czech:
etatismus
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Dutch:
etatisme
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Finnish:
valtiojohtoisuus
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Finnish:
etatismi
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Finnish:
statismi
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
French:
étatisme
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
German:
Etatismus
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Hungarian:
etatizmus
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Hungarian:
állampártiság
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Italian:
statalismo
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Polish:
etatyzm
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Portuguese:
estatismo
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Portuguese:
estadismo
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Romanian:
statalism
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Russian:
этати́зм
(etatízm)
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Russian:
госуда́рственничество
(gosudárstvenničestvo)
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Slovene:
etatizem
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Spanish:
estatalismo
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Spanish:
estatismo
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Swedish:
etatism
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state
Turkish:
devletçilik
— belief in the supreme legitimacy of the state