Meanings
plural Christianisms
- UScountablederogatoryuncountableA political ideology centered around Christian fundamentalism.First known use 21st c.
Christianism is characterised by overt, often extreme, anti-Islamism.
2021, Jeffrey Haynes, Trump and the Politics of Neo-Nationalism5 more examples
Christianism is an ideology, politics, an ism. The distinction between Christian and Christianist echoes the distinction we make between Muslim and Islamist. Muslims are those who follow Islam. Islamists are those who want to wield Islam as a political force and conflate state and mosque.
2006 May 7, Andrew Sullivan, “My Problem with Chistianism”, in TIMEAt its extreme, as in the Christian identity movement, Christianism merges with white supremacy.
2007, Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz, The Colors of Jews: Racial Politics and Radical Diasporism, page 31Because I was always against any extremist ideology whether Islamism or Christianism or whatsoever.
2015, Stefan Borg, European Integration and the Problem of the State, page 129At the same time that they invoke Christian identity, the civilizationists also stress their secularism. But there is no contradiction between the populist right’s Christianism and its secularism, since both derive from a preoccupation with Islam.
2017 December 6, Rogers Brubaker, “The New Language of European Populism”, in brubaker.scholar.ss.ucla.edu, page 4What matters is not believing (let alone actual Christian conduct), but only belonging. It’s what the social scientist Rogers Brubaker has called “Christianism”, in contrast with actual Christianity.
2025 April 23, Jan-Werner Müller, “What did Pope Francis think of JD Vance? His view was more than clear”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe Christian religion.
nounThe Christian world.
Origin
- Latinchrīstiānismus
- EnglishChristianism
From Latin chrīstiānismus; compare French christianisme, equivalent to Christian + -ism.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish kristillismi
- kristillismiideology centered around Christian fundamentalism
German Christianismus
- Christianismusideology centered around Christian fundamentalism
Cite this entry
Christianism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christianism
“Christianism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christianism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Christianism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christianism.
Source: Christianism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.