English

Noun

capitalism ‎(countable and uncountable, plural capitalisms)

1. (politics, uncountable) a socio-economic system based on private property rights, including the private ownership of resources or capital, with economic decisions made largely through the operation of a market unregulated by the state.
2. (economics, uncountable) a socio-economic system based on 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. (countable) a specific variation or implementation of either such socio-economic system.

Quotations

• 1855, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Newcomes: memoirs of a most respectable family, volume 2, page 75:

  The Prince de Moncontour took his place with great gravity at the Paris board, whither Barnes made frequent flying visits. The sense of capitalism sobered and dignified Paul de Florac: at the age of five-and-forty he was actually giving up being a young man, and was not ill-pleased at having to enlarge his waistcoats, and to show a little gray in his mustache.

Translations

Related terms

• capital
• capitalist
• capitalistic