1
a: a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture
b: the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program
c: a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture
Did you know?Ideology has been in use in English since the end of the 18th century and is one of the few words whose coiner we can identify. The French writer A. L. C. Destutt de Tracy proposed it as a term to designate the “science of ideas,” and in that sense the word was quickly borrowed into English. Though ideology originated as a serious philosophical term, within a few decades it took on connotations of impracticality thanks to Napoleon, who used it in a derisive manner. Such connotations are still present in some contexts, but the word today is largely used neutrally, most often to refer to a systematic body of concepts, and especially to the set of ideas and beliefs held by a particular group or political party.
Examples of ideology in a Sentencethe ideology of a totalitarian society He says that the election is not about ideology.
Recent Examples on the Web Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. The financial architecture of the next decade will not be defined solely by regulation or ideology. —Azeem Khan, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025 At the start of World War II, most governments required zoos to embrace an ideology of sacrifice – a willingness to set the needs of the state above their own. —John M. Kinder, The Conversation, 1 May 2025 The ideology underlying Western landscape painting is one in which humans are stewards and masters of the natural realm, a view of nature as a resource to be exploited, first by colonial empires and now by extractive industry. —Naima Morelli, Artforum, 1 May 2025 Nineteen percent of men surveyed identified with a liberal ideology, compared to 29% of women. —Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ideology Word HistoryEtymology
French idéologie, from idéo- ideo- + -logie -logy
First Known Use
1813, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of ideology was in 1813 Cite this Entry“Ideology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideology. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on ideology Last Updated: 9 May 2025 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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