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Definition of wokeism

wokeism

/ˈwoʊ.kɪ.zəm/
woke · ism
Adjective:woke
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wokeism Lexical Profile

wokeism Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

Progressive attitudes, policies, or practices regarding social justice, racial equity, and identity politics, especially when viewed by critics as dogmatic, performative, or extreme (usually derogatory).

Example

"The political commentator blamed corporate wokeism for the controversy surrounding the company's new advertising campaign."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Word Nuance & Usage

Unlike the base adjective 'woke', which originated in African American Vernacular English with positive connotations of social vigilance, 'wokeism' is used almost exclusively as a pejorative by critics to frame progressive social policies as a rigid or dogmatic ideology.

• Nearby Words

woefulness
wok
woke
wokeism
wokeness
wolf
wolf cichlid

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the late 2010s by adding the ideological suffix '-ism' to 'woke' (originally an African American Vernacular English past-participle adjective meaning 'alert to racial injustice', derived from the Old English verb 'wacan', meaning 'to awake').

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Wokeism. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/wokeism
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