fascism
noun
Jason StanleyJosh JonesUmberto Eco Jason Watson AldridgeZach BeauchampJonathan S. Tobin
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The Italian Origin of Fascism
The words fascism and fascist have long been associated with the Fascisti of Benito Mussolini and the fasces, the bundle of rods with an ax among them, which the Fascisti used as a symbol of the Italian people united and obedient to the single authority of the state. However, Mussolini did not introduce the word fascista (plural fascisti) with the 1919 organization of the Fasci di combattimento (“combat groups”), nor did the fasces have any direct connection with the origin of fascista. In Italian, the word fascio (plural fasci) means literally “bundle,” and figuratively “group.” From at least 1872 fascio was used in the names of labor and agrarian unions, and in October 1914 a political coalition was formed called the Fascio rivoluzionario d’ azione internazionalista (“revolutionary group for international action”), which advocated Italian participation in World War I on the side of the Allies. Members of this group were first called fascisti in January 1915. Although Mussolini was closely associated with this interventionist movement, it had no direct link with the post-war Fasci di combattimento, and in 1919 the word fascista was already in political circulation. It is, however, to the Fascisti in their 1919 incarnation—who seized power in Italy three years later—that we owe the current customary meanings of our words fascism and fascist.
Examples of fascism in a Sentence
Anne Applebaum, New York Review of Books, 25 Oct. 2007
Consider what happened during the crisis of global fascism. At first, even the truth about Hitler was inconvenient. Many in the west hoped the danger would simply go away.
—Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006
He collected stories about groups similar to his—Aryans, other Nazis, the KKK. Lately, he'd been flagging many stories from Germany and Eastern Europe, and was quite thrilled with the rise of fascism there.
—John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995
the rise of Fascism in Europe before World War II
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
Right-wing figures have blamed the Left for increasing the political temperature and resulting in Kirk’s assassination by weaponizing accusations of fascism, Nazism, and various kinds of bigotry.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2025
Swanson is concerned with issues including fascism, freedom of the press and the prosecution of political opponents.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Those all feel a little like antidotes to fascism.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fascism
Cite this Entry
“Fascism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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fascism
noun
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