capitalism
AI In plain words
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capitalism
- /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ UK
- /kəˈpɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ UK, dated
- /ˈkæp.ə.təlˌɪzm̩/ US
- /-ˌɪz.əm/ US
- /ˌkæp.təl-/ US
Where it comes from
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].
noun capitalisms
- A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources, and capital and their exploitation for profit. What this war has demonstrated is that private capitalism—that is, an economic system in which land, factories, mines and transport are owned privately and operated solely for profit—does not work. It cannot deliver the goods. This fact had been known to millions of people for years past, but nothin
- An economic system based on private control of the means of production and the exploitation of labour by capital.
- 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: capitalist economy, capitalist, capital, capitalization, capitalisation, private ownership, free enterprise, private enterprise, market economy, laissez-faire, free market, economic individualism, commercialism, neoliberalism, monetarism, socialism
Translations
Every language
noun socio-economic system based on the abstraction of resources
| हिन्दी | पूंजीवाद pūñjīvād |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | κεφαλαιοκρατία kefalaiokratía |
noun socio-economic system based on private property rights
| Español | capitalismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 자본주의 jabonjuui |
| 日本語 | 資本主義 shihonshugi |
| 中文 | 資本主義 /资本主义 zīběnzhǔyì |
| हिन्दी | पूंजीवाद pūñjīvād |
| Kiswahili | ubepari |
| Português | capitalismo |
| Français | capitalisme |
| Deutsch | Kapitalismus |
| Italiano | capitalismo |
| Ελληνικά | κεφαλαιοκρατία kefalaiokratía, καπιταλισμός kapitalismós |
| Română | capitalism |
| Русский | капитали́зм kapitalízm |
| Tiếng Việt | chủ nghĩa tư bản |
| العربية | رَأْسْمَالِيَّة raʔsmāliyya |
| עברית | קָפִּיטָלִיזְם kapitalízm, הוֹנְתָנוּת hontanut |
Talk about this word "capitalism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/capitalism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. capitalism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/capitalism "capitalism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/capitalism.Cite this
@misc{capitalism_2026,
title = {capitalism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/capitalism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
