capitalism

CEFRC1

/ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    An economic system based on private ownership and profit.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources or capital.

Examples

  • They ended capitalism and built a socialist society.

  • As communism has collapsed, capitalism is now accused of trying to "dominate the world."

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2

Also pronounced

  • /-ˌɪz.əm/
  • /ˈkæp.ə.təlˌɪzm̩/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources, and capital and their exploitation for profit.

  2. 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.

  3. An economic system based on private control of the means of production and the exploitation of labour by capital.

More examples

In context

  • The growth of industrial capitalism in the West

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

In pure blank, private owners control trade and industry for profit.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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].