contractualism

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noun

A political theory based on the idea of a social contract between a ruler and their subjects.

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Meanings

nouncontractualism (uncountable)
  1. uncountablegovernmentA political theory based on the idea of a social contract between a ruler and their subjects.

    the customary part of the ceremony in which the monarch was presented before the people in his regalia for popular acclaim was removed altogether for fear that it be interpreted as incipient contractualism.

    2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 301

Origin

From contractual + -ism.

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Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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