fundamentalism
noun
fun·da·men·tal·ism
ˌfən-də-ˈmen-tə-ˌli-zəm 
1
a
often capitalized
: a movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching
b
: the beliefs of this movement
c
: adherence to such beliefs
a minister noted for his strict fundamentalism
2
: a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles
Islamic fundamentalism
political fundamentalism
Examples of fundamentalism in a Sentence
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On the one side stood religious fundamentalism with its insistence on a literal reading of scripture and submission to institutional authority; on the other stood scientific naturalism with its insistence that only empirical methods were valid routes to knowledge.
—
Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025
In America, generally speaking, Christian fundamentalism steadily gained influence, peaking in the latter part of the twentieth century, when televangelists like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, and Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker spread the good word in living rooms everywhere.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
The first of these developments was the rise of free-market fundamentalism, pioneered by economists such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman and adopted by political leaders such as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
—Jack Snyder, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Also worrisome would be the emergence of a strongman like Egypt's Abdel Fatah el-Sisi who'd use the threat of chaos and Islamic fundamentalism to justify anti-democratic policies.
—John Feffer, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
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Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025
In America, generally speaking, Christian fundamentalism steadily gained influence, peaking in the latter part of the twentieth century, when televangelists like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, and Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker spread the good word in living rooms everywhere.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
The first of these developments was the rise of free-market fundamentalism, pioneered by economists such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman and adopted by political leaders such as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
—Jack Snyder, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Also worrisome would be the emergence of a strongman like Egypt's Abdel Fatah el-Sisi who'd use the threat of chaos and Islamic fundamentalism to justify anti-democratic policies.
—John Feffer, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fundamentalism
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Cite this Entry
“Fundamentalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fundamentalism. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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