departmentalism

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noun

Excessive adherence to departmental methods, rules or structure.

Scrabble 22
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Meanings

noundepartmentalism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableExcessive adherence to departmental methods, rules or structure.
  2. uncountableOrganization by government departments, as opposed to other mechanisms, such as NGOs.

    Lord Whitelaw, then Chairman of the Conservative Party Policy Committee, considered that departmentalism would be more effective than umbrellaism.

    1989, David Paterson, Mary Palmer, The Status of Animals: Ethics, Education and Welfare, page 2

Origin

From departmental + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

departmentalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/departmentalism

MLA

“departmentalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/departmentalism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “departmentalism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/departmentalism.

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