Meanings
- A school of social theory and philosophy associated in part with the Institute for Social Research at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Founded during the interwar period, the School consisted of dissidents who were critical of both capitalism and Soviet socialism.
I define critical theory as something broader than Critical Theory in the Frankfurt School usage but not unrelated to it.
2000, Carl Howard Freedman, Critical Theory and Science Fiction, Wesleyan University Press, →ISBN, page xvi1 more example
As a post-1960's heir of the Frankfurt School's “critique of mass culture,” Mr. Enzensberger is most ruthless toward those products of what he calls the “consciousness industry” that, through the guise of satire or social criticism, co-opt rebellious impulses that might otherwise drive the masses to Marxist revolution.
1989 April 30, Martha Bayles, “Taking Sitcoms Seriously”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Translations
French École de Francfort
- École de Francfortschool of social theory and philosophy
German Frankfurter Schule
- Frankfurter Schuleschool of social theory and philosophy
Hungarian frankfurti iskola
- frankfurti iskolaschool of social theory and philosophy
Polish szkoła frankfurcka
- szkoła frankfurckaschool of social theory and philosophy
Russian фра́нкфуртская шко́ла
- фра́нкфуртская шко́ла (fránkfurtskaja škóla)school of social theory and philosophy
Spanish escuela de Fráncfort
- escuela de Fráncfortschool of social theory and philosophy
Cite this entry
Frankfurt School. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Frankfurt%20School
“Frankfurt School.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Frankfurt%20School. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Frankfurt School,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Frankfurt%20School.
Source: Frankfurt School on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.