grandmotherism

G2R1A1N1D2M3O1T1H4E1R1I1S1M3

noun

grandmotherly behaviour; mild or weak authoritarianism

Scrabble 23
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Meanings

noungrandmotherism (uncountable)
  1. uncountablegrandmotherly behaviour; mild or weak authoritarianism

    Bureaucracy begins as well-meaning grandmotherism and ends as tyranny.

    1932, Arthur Bryant, The Spirit of Conservatism, page 32
    1 more example

    […] but I hold that strong evils require strong measures to suppress them, and there is no reason why professional etiquette should be another name for grandmotherism.

    1908, British Dental Journal, volume 29, page 202

Origin

From grandmother + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

grandmotherism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grandmotherism

MLA

“grandmotherism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grandmotherism. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grandmotherism,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grandmotherism.

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