gattopardism

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noun

The creation of political reforms that are only apparent rather than substantial.

Scrabble 18
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Meanings

noungattopardism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe creation of political reforms that are only apparent rather than substantial.

    To sum up, the old principle of leaving things as they are, the worst forms of transformism and gattopardism, the prevalence of diplomacy over politics, of Guicciardini over Machiavelli, to quote Gramsci, crushed any real possibility of innovation in Europe.

    1991, The Federalist, volume 33, page 33

Origin

Ultimately from the novel The Leopard (Italian: Il Gattopardo) by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French gattopardisme
  • gattopardismeTranslations
Italian gattopardismo
  • gattopardismoTranslations
Spanish gatopardismo
  • gatopardismoTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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