capitalism
UK /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ · US /ˈkæp.ə.təlˌɪzm̩/ noun
Forms capitalisms
- noun (politics, economics) A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources, and capital and their exploitation for profit.
- noun (Marxism) An economic system based on private control of the means of production and the exploitation of labour by capital.
- noun (economic liberalism) An economic system based on private property and the abstraction of resources into the form of privately owned capital, with economic decisions made largely through the operation of a market unregulated by the state.
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Antonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French capitalisme (“the condition of one who is rich”); equivalent to capital + -ism. Derived from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. First used in English by novelist William Thackeray in The Newcomes [1854-1855].
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “capitalism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details