Meanings
cultural marxism1
- alternativeuncountableAlternative form of cultural Marxism.
cultural Marxism2
- MarxismuncountableacademiaMarxist analysis applied to culture and cultural phenomena.
Nothing illustrates Orwell's ambivalence towards cultural Marxism more powerfully than his writings on literature.
2009, Philip Bounds, Orwell and Marxism: The Political and Cultural Thinking of George Orwell, →ISBN3 more examples
Both cultural Marxism and symbolic anthropology can, in retrospect, be seen to be part of a general movement towards the 'linguistic turn' within the humanities, with its focus upon the semiotic dimensions of human culture (the subject of the next chapter).
2007, Anna Green, Cultural History, →ISBN, page 45A student of youth subcultures, Hall crossbred the increasingly influential cultural Marxism, exemplified by E. P. Thompson, with the French structuralism of the anthropologist Claude LéviStrauss, which burst onto the intellectual scene in the 1960s and soon enjoyed international prestige.
2014, Lynn Hunt, Writing History in the Global Era, →ISBNThese people have certainly done their homework when it comes to cultural Marxism—how the left has learned to dominate culture and how the right now needs to copy their techniques. If I’d had to drink a shot every time some speaker cited Herbert Marcuse or Antonio Gramsci, I’d be dead of alcohol poisoning.
2021 November 18, David Brooks, “The Terrifying Future of the American Right”, in The Atlantic - MarxismuncountableacademiaA form of Marxism perceived as subsumed by capitalism and thus as unauthentic by its critics (usually other Marxists).
- uncountablechiefly right-wing US politicsUmbrella term for the idea, in right-wing conspiracy theories, of a Marxism that controls modern progressive politics, mass media, and academia, typically with the purported goal of deconstructing Western civilization.
A Conservative MP has claimed the UK’s low birthrate is the most pressing policy issue of the generation and is caused in part by “cultural Marxism” stripping young people of any hope, at the start of a populist-tinged conference in London.
2023 May 15, Peter Walker, Pippa Crerar, quoting Miriam Cates, “Low birthrate is UK’s top priority, Tory MP tells rightwing conference”, in The Guardian, →ISSN1 more example
She said: “We are engaging in many battles right now. As Conservatives we are engaged in a battle against cultural Marxism, where banning things is becoming de rigueur, where freedom of speech is becoming a taboo, where our universities – quintessential institutions of liberalism – are being shrouded in censorship and a culture of no-platforming.”
2019 March 27, Benjamin Kentish, quoting Suella Braverman, “Conservative MP condemned for repeating far-right, antisemitic conspiracy theory about ‘cultural Marxism’”, in The Independent
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Coined by Trent Schroyer's The Critique of Domination: The Origins and Development of Critical Theory (1973). In the more recent (US) politics sense mirroring the older cultural Bolshevism used in Nazi Germany.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اَلْمَارْكْسِيَّة ثَقَافِيَّة
- اَلْمَارْكْسِيَّة ثَقَافِيَّةconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Bulgarian културен марксизъм
- културен марксизъм (kulturen marksizăm)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Chinese Mandarin 文化馬克思主義 /文化马克思主义, 文馬 /文马
- 文化馬克思主義 /文化马克思主义 (wénhuà Mǎkèsīzhǔyì)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
- 文馬 /文马 (wénmǎ)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Czech kulturní marxismus
- kulturní marxismusconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Dutch cultuurmarxisme
- cultuurmarxismeconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Finnish kulttuurimarxilaisuus, kulttuurimarxismi
- kulttuurimarxilaisuusconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
- kulttuurimarxismiconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
French marxisme culturel
- marxisme culturelconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
German Kulturbolschewismus, Kulturmarxismus
- Kulturbolschewismusconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
- Kulturmarxismusconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Greek πολιτιστικός μαρξισμός
- πολιτιστικός μαρξισμός (politistikós marxismós)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Hebrew הַמַרְקְסִיזְם הַתַּרְבּוּתִי
- הַמַרְקְסִיזְם הַתַּרְבּוּתִי (hamarksízem hatarbutí)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Hindi सांस्कृतिक मार्क्सवादी
- सांस्कृतिक मार्क्सवादी (sānskŕtik mārksavādī)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Hungarian kulturális marxizmus, kultúrmarxiszmus
- kulturális marxizmusconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
- kultúrmarxiszmusconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Indonesian marxisme budaya
- marxisme budayaconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Japanese 文化的マルクス主義
- 文化的マルクス主義 (funkateki Marukusushūgi)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Norwegian Bokmål kulturmarxisme
- kulturmarxismeconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Persian مارکسیسم فرهنگی
- مارکسیسم فرهنگی (mârksism farhangi)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Polish marksizm kulturowy
- marksizm kulturowyconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Portuguese marxismo cultural
- marxismo culturalconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Romanian marxism cultural
- marxism culturalconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Russian культу́рный маркси́зм
- культу́рный маркси́зм (kulʹtúrnyj marksízm)conspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Spanish marxismo cultural
- marxismo culturalconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Swedish kulturmarxism
- kulturmarxismconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Vietnamese chủ nghĩa Marx văn hóa
- chủ nghĩa Marx văn hóaconspiracy theory that cultural elements that were perceived to be propagating undesirable Marxist ideas by the Frankfurt School
Cite this entry
cultural marxism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cultural%20marxism
“cultural marxism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cultural%20marxism. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cultural marxism,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cultural%20marxism.
Source: cultural marxism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.