survivalism

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noun

A belief, expressed by survivalists, in being prepared to survive disasters and cataclysms including the collapse of civilization; the practice of preparing for such events.

OriginEnglish survival ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Latin supervīvere →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounsurvivalism (usually uncountable, plural survivalisms)

plural survivalisms

  1. uncountableusuallyA belief, expressed by survivalists, in being prepared to survive disasters and cataclysms including the collapse of civilization; the practice of preparing for such events.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Italic*super
  4. Latinsuper
  5. Latinsuper-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*gʷih₃wós
  8. Proto-Indo-European*gʷíh₃weti
  9. Proto-Italic*gʷīwō
  10. Latinvīvō
  11. Latinsupervīvere
  12. Englishsurvive
  13. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  15. Englishsurvival
  16. Englishsurvivalism

From survival + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French survivalisme
  • survivalismebelief in being prepared to survive disasters
Italian survivalismo
  • survivalismobelief in being prepared to survive disasters
Portuguese sobrevivencialismo
  • sobrevivencialismobelief in being prepared to survive disasters
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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