Meanings
- uncountableA political or social theory or system that advocates the equitable distribution of power in a society.
Horizontalism is not described as an ideology but as a relationship—a way of relating to one another in a directly democratic way while at the same time continually creating through the process of discovery.
2004, John Cavanagh, Jerry Mander, editors, Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible, →ISBN, page 2541 more example
The accounts Sitrin gathered from the direct participation in the Argentine uprising demonstrate that for many, horizontalism was perhaps an anti-ideological ideology composed of a fluid mixture of flexible, participatory, non-dogmatic values and practices oriented around consensus, federalism, and self-management.
2018, Benjamin Franks, Nathan Jun, Leonard Williams, editors, Anarchism: A Conceptual Approach, Routledge, →ISBNSynonyms: horizontalidad, horizontality
- uncountableAn approach to money creation theory pioneered by Basil Moore which states that private bank reserves are not managed by central banks.
Indeed, it has been said that in horizontalism, commercial banks lend to all who demand credit.
2006, “Endogenous money, central banks and the banking system”, in Mark Setterfield, editor, Complexity, Endogenous Money and Macroeconomic Theory […] , Edward Elgar Publishing, →ISBN, page 171
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA political or social theory or system that advocates the equitable distribution of power in a society.
Origin
- Spanishhorizontalidad
- Englishhorizontalism
From horizontal + -ism. The sense “equitable distribution of power” is a calque of Spanish horizontalidad, originating from the 2001 protests in Argentina.
More words from Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
horizontalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horizontalism
“horizontalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horizontalism. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “horizontalism,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horizontalism.
Source: horizontalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.