Nation & World News

More people are looking up 'fascism' after the election

By Michelle Ewing
Nov 15, 2016
What is fascism? Inquiring minds want to know. 

According to Merriam-Webster, searches for the term have jumped since Election Night. 

>> Read more trending stories

If you don't know what it means, we'll save you the click: Fascism is "a political philosophy, movement or regime ... that exalts national and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition."

"The word has consistently been at or near the top of the list of words being looked up in real time," the reference company said in an article on its website Monday. Compared to 2015, searches for fascism are up 400 percent this year.

Other popular terms? Bigot, xenophobe, racism, socialism, resurgence, xenophobia and misogyny, Merriam-Webster reports.

About the Author

Michelle Ewing

More Stories