Chauvinism
/ˈʃoʊvɪˌnɪzəm/
nounC1
Definition
Chauvinism means having an extreme and unfair pride or loyalty to a group you belong to, like your country, gender, or race. It often means thinking that your group is always right and better than others, sometimes leading to unfair treatment or ignoring others' value.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Excessive and unreasonable loyalty to one's country or group
- •His chauvinism made him refuse to listen to other countries' ideas.
- •The politician’s speech was full of national chauvinism.
- •Chauvinism can cause conflicts between different groups.
Belief that one gender is better than the other (often male chauvinism)
- •Male chauvinism is when men think they are better than women.
- •She spoke out against the company's male chauvinism.
- •Chauvinism in the workplace can lead to unfair treatment of women.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "chauvinism" like "pride," but much stronger and unfair—like thinking your team is the best no matter what, even if others are good too.
- ✓Picture someone wearing a shirt with their country’s flag and saying their country is the best, ignoring what others have.
- ✓It's the feeling when someone believes their group is the only correct one and looks down on others.
- ✓Sounds like "SHO-vee-niz-um" → Imagine a "show" where one person shouts loudly that only their side matters.
- ✓In stories or news, chauvinism appears when people treat others unfairly because of their gender or nationality.
- ✓NOT like "patriotism" (love for your country in a good way), chauvinism is extreme and blind pride that can cause problems.
- ✓NOT like "confidence" (belief in yourself), chauvinism is about unfair belief in a group’s superiority.
- ✓NOT like "discrimination" (unfair treatment), but chauvinism often causes discrimination because of unfair beliefs.
Try Other Words
- •Bias: unfair preference or dislike (Use when focusing on unfair opinions rather than strong loyalty)
- •Prejudice: unfair opinion about others (Use when emphasizing negative feelings toward other groups)
- •Nationalism: strong love for one's country (Use when the focus is on country loyalty, but less extreme than chauvinism)
- •Sexism: unfair treatment based on gender (Use specifically for gender-related chauvinism)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "chauvin-" (from Nicolas Chauvin, a French soldier known for extreme patriotism) + suffix "-ism" (meaning belief or practice)
- •Etymology: Named after a French soldier famous for blind loyalty to Napoleon, the word came to mean extreme and unreasonable loyalty to any group
- •Historical development: First used in the 19th century to describe extreme patriotism, later expanded to other group loyalties like gender or race
- •Modern usage: Used to describe unfair, extreme beliefs that one group is better than others, often causing social problems
Reflect & Connect
•Can chauvinism ever be positive, or is it always harmful? Why?
•How can recognizing chauvinism help us treat others more fairly in daily life?
Fill in the blanks
1.Chauvinism often causes people to ___ other groups and refuse to listen to their ideas.
2.When someone shows male chauvinism, they believe men are ___ than women.
3.Unlike simple pride, chauvinism ignores ___ and treats others unfairly.
4.A person with chauvinism may ___ the value of people from different backgrounds.
5.Chauvinism can appear in ___, race, or gender beliefs.
6.People who want to stop chauvinism try to ___ respect and equality.
7.Chauvinism is different from nationalism because it is often more ___ and unfair.