contractarianism

noun

The political doctrine that the legitimacy of a government derives from a (normally unstated) contract between the government and the people (normally derived from an election)

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Meanings

nouncontractarianism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe political doctrine that the legitimacy of a government derives from a (normally unstated) contract between the government and the people (normally derived from an election)

Origin

From contractarian + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish kontraktarismi
  • kontraktarismipolitical doctrine
German Kontraktualismus
  • Kontraktualismuspolitical doctrine
Cite this entry
APA

contractarianism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contractarianism

MLA

“contractarianism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contractarianism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contractarianism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contractarianism.

Source: contractarianism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.