Word: chauvinism (noun)

Associations

Chauvinism means having an extreme or unreasonable belief that your own group, country, or sex is better than others. It often shows as strong loyalty or pride that ignores fairness.

• Example 1: Male chauvinism means believing men are better than women. This is unfair and can cause discrimination.
• Example 2: National chauvinism is when someone thinks their country is the best and looks down on other countries.
• Example 3: In history, chauvinism sometimes led to conflicts because people did not respect others.

Synonym: "bias" is similar but less strong. Chauvinism usually means very strong and blind loyalty, while bias can be a mild preference.

Substitution

You can replace "chauvinism" with:

• "extreme patriotism" (for national chauvinism)
• "sexism" (for male or female chauvinism)
• "prejudice" (general unfair belief) But remember, "chauvinism" often means extreme and unreasonable belief, stronger than these words.

Deconstruction

The word "chauvinism" comes from Nicolas Chauvin, a French soldier known for his extreme patriotism. The suffix "-ism" means a belief or practice. So "chauvinism" means the belief or practice of extreme loyalty or pride.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when someone showed chauvinism in your life or in the news?
• How do you think chauvinism affects relationships between people or countries?
• Can chauvinism ever be positive, or is it always harmful? Why?