militarism

noun [ˈmɪlətɚˌɪzəm]

pronunciation

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, open source

Militarism is a system or attitude in which military force, armaments and barrack logic take priority in state policy or in social thinking.

source

Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Definitions

A political model or state practice in which a standing army, the armaments budget and officer cadres set priorities ahead of other fields of public policy.

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A social or ideological stance that prizes soldierly values, discipline, hierarchy and readiness to use armed force as a tool for settling disputes.

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In figurative use: the habit of treating civilian affairs as if they were under barracks rules, orders and military ritual, also outside army institutions.

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Examples

The historian described militarism as an arrangement in which the defence budget and officer cadres set the pace of civilian reform.

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In the parliamentary debate speakers set militarism beside a disarmament policy to show the quarrel over the army's place in a peaceful state.

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The columnist warned that a critique of militarism need not reject national defence when the point is the limit of military influence on civilian life.

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In the seminar students compared militarism, imperialism and nationalism: the first stresses the predominance of military logic, the second expansion, the third national identity.

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Usage

In casual speech militarism often brands swagger, aggression or the overreach of generals. Scholarly prose is clearer when it points to concrete signs: the weight of the defence budget, staff power over elected civilians, or a public cult of soldierly discipline. Pacifist and antimilitarist writing form their own register. Say whether you mean a regime type, a barrack culture, or only the spread of order-and-drill habits beyond the army. Without that frame the label collapses into a vague moral verdict.

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In Webster (1913) Militarism is a separate headword: a military state or condition; reliance on military force in administering government; a military system; the spirit and traditions of military life. Militarist and Military stand next to it; Military is traced to Latin militaris from miles, militis. Skeat under MILITATE derives Latin militare from milit-, the stem of miles, and lists militant, military, militarist and militia, with no militarism among those derivatives. So the -ism lemma is already present in Webster 1913, while Skeat's 1910 line stops short of it.

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Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913; W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 1910, open source

Common pairings include critique of militarism, rise of militarism, Prussian militarism, anti-militarism and militarism and imperialism. Military as an adjective is older and wider in scope; militarist labels a supporter or a doctrinal voice. Good usage keeps militarism apart from ordinary defence policy: the latter can name routine security work, while the former marks military logic crowding out civilian priorities. Authors still draw that border in different places.

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The English noun rests on military (Latin militaris from miles, militis) with the suffix -ism. Webster 1913 already lists Militarism as its own headword for a military state, reliance on force in government and the spirit of military life. Skeat 1910 under MILITATE gives militant, military, militarist and militia, yet not the -ism lemma. Our senses are written from those public domain facts, not as a paraphrase of a modern encyclopaedia entry.

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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)

Word forms

Regular English noun, usually uncountable; the plural militarisms is rare and refers to different kinds or national versions of the doctrine.

word forms

przypadek	forma
singular	militarism
plural	militarisms

Word forms: Editorial team

Collocations

critique of militarism

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rise of militarism

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Prussian militarism

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anti-militarism

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militarism and imperialism

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Synonyms · Antonyms

Synonyms militarist policy, cult of the military, predominance of the military

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Antonyms pacifism, antimilitarism, disarmament

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Etymology

English militarism is built on Latin militaris (from miles, militis) through the adjective military plus the suffix -ism. In Skeat 1910 the MILITATE article starts from Latin militare (from milit-, stem of miles) and the derivative line covers militant, military, militarist and militia, yet stops short of a lemma militarism. Webster 1913 has Military (L. militaris from miles, militis) and Militarism in the sense of a military state, reliance on armed force in government, a military system, and the spirit plus traditions of military life, together with Militarist. Unlike later political -isms that older public domain dictionaries lack as headwords, Militarism is already attested in Webster 1913, while Skeat's MILITATE derivatives stop short of militarism.

source

W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source

also

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Related words

military , adjective or noun: of or relating to soldiers or war; the armed forces (Webster 1913)
militarist , noun: adherent of militarism (Webster 1913)
militant , adjective or noun: fighting, engaged in warfare; a combatant (Skeat MILITATE line)
miles , etymologically related Latin noun: soldier (stem milit-)
militia , related noun in Skeat's MILITATE derivative line

Related entries

Questions and answers

What does militarism mean?

It names a political or social pattern that puts armed power, weapons spending and barrack habits first in government or public life. Sense one covers a governing model; sense two an ideology that elevates soldierly values; sense three a figurative transfer of command habits into civilian settings.

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Where does the word militarism come from?

Its root runs through Latin militaris (from miles, militis) into English military, plus the suffix -ism. Skeat's MILITATE entry records militant, military, militarist and militia among derivatives, yet omits militarism. Webster lists Military and Militarism (military state; reliance on military force), so the -ism lemma is already attested in that 1913 dictionary.

source

W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source

How is militarism different from defence policy?

Ordinary defence policy can name routine security arrangements. Militarism marks cases where military logic, armaments and barrack values crowd out civilian priorities. Writers do not always draw the line in the same place.

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How is militarism inflected in English?

As a regular English noun it is usually uncountable. A plural militarisms shows up only when writers separate national or doctrinal strands. Nearby forms include military, militarist, militant and militia (Webster 1913; Skeat 1910).

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