Standard Lemma guide

westernism

noun · 3 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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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something that is characteristic of the western part of a region.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The ideology and culture of the West.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Occidentalism

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An 19th-century intellectual ideology which saw Russia's development as dependent upon the adoption of Western European technology and liberal government.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From western + -ism.

From Western + -ism. The Russian ideology is a calque of Russian за́падничество (západničestvo).

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: захо́дніцтва (zaxódnictva) — 19th century ideology
  • Bulgarian: западничество (zapadničestvo) — 19th century ideology
  • Czech: západnictví — 19th century ideology
  • French: occidentaliste — 19th century ideology
  • Italian: occidentalismo — 19th century ideology
  • Polish: okcydentaliz — 19th century ideology
  • Polish: zapadniczestwo — 19th century ideology
  • Polish: zapadnictwo — 19th century ideology
  • Russian: за́падничество (západničestvo) — 19th century ideology
  • Serbo-Croatian: западњаштво — 19th century ideology
  • Serbo-Croatian: вестернизам — 19th century ideology
  • Serbo-Croatian: zapadnjaštvo — 19th century ideology
  • Serbo-Croatian: vesternizam — 19th century ideology
  • Slovak: západníctvo — 19th century ideology
  • Swedish: zapadnitjestvo — 19th century ideology
  • Ukrainian: за́хідництво (záxidnyctvo) — 19th century ideology