sanism

S1A1N1I1S1M3

noun

Discrimination and oppression against people who have, or who are labelled or perceived as having, a mental illness.

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Meanings

nounsanism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableDiscrimination and oppression against people who have, or who are labelled or perceived as having, a mental illness.

    Behaviorists, social scientists, and legal scholars must begin to develop research agendas so as to (1) determine and assess the ultimate impact of sanism, (2) better understand how social science data is manipulated to serve sanist ends, […]

    2002, Michael L. Perlin, Mental disability law: civil and criminal, volume 1, page 528

Origin

From sane + -ism, by analogy with racism and sexism.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

NassimSimnas
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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