Meanings
- Internet4chan slangA jocular religion centered on the alt-right meme Kek.
Alt-Right circles began talking about “Esoteric Kekism” as their religion.
2018, George Hawley, The Alt-Right: What Everyone Needs to Know, page 1162 more examples
From there, it was only a short step to “Kekism,” at once a joke religion and a precursor of the reactionary radicalization to follow.
2020, Tara Isabella Burton, Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World, unnumbered pageKekism's serious playfulness reflects certain views of religion among those associated with the Alt-Right, but it also confronts the contentiousness of religious topics by parodying them.
2021, Damon T. Barry, Christianity and the Alt-Right: Exploring the Relationship, unnumbered page
Origin
From kek (Internet interjection representing laughter) or Kek (the name of an Ancient Egyptian frog god, used in reference to Pepe the Frog) combined with -ism.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Kekism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kekism
“Kekism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kekism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kekism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kekism.
Source: Kekism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.