laissez-faire
noun
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The French phrase laissez faire literally means “allow to do,” with the idea being “let people do as they choose.” The origins of laissez-faire are associated with the Physiocrats, a group of 18th-century French economists who believed that government policy should not interfere with the operation of natural economic laws. (The actual coiner of the phrase may have been French economist Vincent de Gournay, or it may have been François Quesnay, who is considered the group’s founder and leader.) The original phrase was “laissez faire, laissez passer,” with the second part meaning “let (things) pass.” Laissez-faire, which first showed up in an English context in the first half of the 19th century, can still mean “a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs,” but it is also used in broader contexts in which a “hands-off” or “anything-goes” policy or attitude is adopted. It is frequently used as an adjective meaning “favoring a ‘hands-off’ policy,” as in “laissez-faire economics.”
Examples of laissez-faire in a Sentence
Kate Wieczorek, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
His vision is in line with that of the Valley’s anarcho-capitalist subculture, in which maximalist thought experiments in laissez-faire governance are taken seriously.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
This bipartisan consensus reflects a growing trend among economists and experts, who are now revising the unfettered free-trade and laissez-faire attitudes that defined U.S. economic policymaking for decades.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2024
Schwarzenegger — a strong environmentalist with a laissez-faire attitude on social issues — stood well to the left of the California Republican base.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for laissez-faire 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laissez-faire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Laissez-faire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laissez-faire. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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