fascism

UK: 'fascism', 'Fascism': /ˈfæʃɪzəm/

US: /ˈfæʃɪzəm/

US: (fash′iz əm)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fas•cism /ˈfæʃɪzəm/  

1. Government n. [uncountable* sometimes: Fascism] a governmental or political system that is led by a dictator and emphasizes nationalism, militarism, and often racism.

fas•cist, n. [countable] , adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fas•cism  (fash′iz əm), n. 

1. Government (sometimes cap.) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. Government (sometimes cap.) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3. Government (cap.) a fascist movement, esp. the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.

• Italian fascismo, equivalent. to fasc(io) bundle, political group (see fasces) + -ismo -ism
• 1915–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fascism / ˈfæʃɪzəm/ noun (sometimes capital)

1. any ideology or movement inspired by Italian Fascism, such as German National Socialism; any right-wing nationalist ideology or movement with an authoritarian and hierarchical structure that is fundamentally opposed to democracy and liberalism
2. any ideology, movement, programme, tendency, etc that may be characterized as excessively prescriptive or authoritarian
3. prejudice in relation to the subject specified: body fascism

Etymology: 20th Century: from Italian fascismo, from fascio political group, from Latin fascis bundle; see fasces

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Fascism / ˈfæʃɪzəm/ noun

1. the political movement, doctrine, system, or regime of Benito Mussolini in Italy, which encouraged militarism and nationalism, organizing the country along hierarchical authoritarian lines