anticapitalism
|an-ti-cap-i-tal-ism|
🇺🇸
/ænˌtɪˈkæpɪtəlɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌæntiːˈkæpɪtəlɪzəm/
against capitalism
Etymology
'anticapitalism' originates from a combination of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí', meaning 'against') and the noun 'capitalism' (from French 'capitalisme'), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'capitalism' referred to the economic system based on capital.
'anticapitalism' developed by attaching the modern English prefix 'anti-' to the already established noun 'capitalism' (itself from French 'capitalisme', from Medieval Latin/French roots related to 'capital'), forming a compound meaning opposition to capitalism.
Initially formed simply to express opposition to 'capitalism' (literally 'against capitalism'), it has come to cover both a range of theories that critique capitalist systems and the social movements that act on those critiques.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
opposition to capitalism as an economic system; the belief or ideology that capitalism is unjust or should be abolished or radically reformed.
Her anticapitalism led her to study alternative economic systems.
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Noun 2
the social or political movement and actions that criticize, resist, or attempt to limit or replace capitalist institutions.
Anticapitalism was a driving force behind many 20th-century labor and student movements.
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Last updated: 2025/08/28 06:50