terrorism
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terrorism
- /ˈtɛɹəɹɪzəm/
Where it comes from
From French terrorisme, from terreur + -isme. By surface analysis, terror + -ism.
The word first appears in English in 1795 in reference to the Jacobin radicals of France, who ruled during the Reign of Terror.
noun terrorisms
- The system of fear and intimidation put into place during the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France around 1793-94. In England I was proscribed for having vindicated the French Revolution, and I have suffered a rigorous imprisonment in France for having pursued a similar mode of conduct. During the reign of terrorism, I was a close prisoner for eight long months, and remained so above three months after the era o
- The use of unlawful violence against people or property to achieve political objectives. The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty. David Cameron insists that his latest communications data bill is "vital to counter terrorism". Y
- The use of intimidation or bullying tactics. We at the GCN Prisoner Project often get letters from prisoners who are being harassed (above and beyond the usual terrorism of the prison business) because of their being queer.
- Deliberate misspelling of tourism
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: counter-terrorism, antiterrorist, antiterrorism, counter-terrorist, counterterrorism, extremism, phenomenon, scourge, intimidation, horror, terror, fear, ctc, anti-terrorist, terrorisme, terrorists
Translations
Every language
noun use of terror as a means of coercion
| Español | terrorismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 테러리즘 tereorijeum, 테러 tereo, 공포주의 gongpojuui |
| 日本語 | テロリズム terorizumu, テロ tero |
| 中文 | 恐怖主義 /恐怖主义 kǒngbùzhǔyì |
| हिन्दी | आतंकवाद ātaṅkvād, दहशतगर्दी dahśatgardī, दहशतंगेज़ dahaśtaṅgez |
| Kiswahili | ugaidi |
| Português | terrorismo |
| Français | terrorisme |
| Deutsch | Terrorismus |
| Italiano | terrorismo |
| Ελληνικά | τρομοκρατία tromokratía |
| Română | terorism |
| Русский | террори́зм terrorízm, тера́кт terákt, терро́р terrór |
| Tiếng Việt | khủng bố, chính sách khủng bố, chủ nghĩa khủng bố |
| العربية | إِرْهَاب ʔirhāb |
| עברית | טֶרוֹר téror, טֶרוֹרִיזְם terorizm |
Talk about this word "terrorism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/terrorism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. terrorism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/terrorism "terrorism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/terrorism.Cite this
@misc{terrorism_2026,
title = {terrorism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/terrorism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}