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Egalitarianism is a social and political philosophy promoting the equal status of all people. Something in line with this principle is described as egalitarian. Someone who espouses this principle of equality can be called an egalitarian.

How is egalitarian pronounced?

What are other forms of egalitarian?

egalitarianism

What are some other words related to egalitarian?

• democracy
• equality

The word egalitarian is derived from the French, based in a Latin root meaning “equal” and giving English that word.

A form of the word is famously associated with an Enlightenment-period motto of the French Revolution from the 1790s, that has since become the country’s national motto: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, or “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.”

Egalitarian is recorded in English by the 1800s, with the noun form recorded by the early 1900s. While rooted in social philosophy, egalitarian has expanded to refer to anything that promotes the equality of all people. Egalitarian prayer, for instance, allows people of any faith to pray at a space even if they do not belong to a particular religion governing it, as at an area of the Western Wall in Israel.

While the word egalitarian has become generalized, it’s still very closely identified with egalitarianism. In general, this philosophy believes all people are by nature equal, and urges the equal treatment of people in all aspects of society, from law to social status.

Its core principle has helped it fuel a range of social revolutions in the 19th and 20th centuries, including Marxism, feminism, the civil rights movement, and the gay rights movements—each working to overcome inequalities based on class, gender, race, or sexuality. And oh, let’s not leave out Western democracy, founded as it is on notions of egalitarianism (as opposed to aristocracy).

In terms of government, democracy is often identified as the most egalitarian form, based as it is on government by the people and the rule of law.

The growth of Hindutva is essentially a backlash of the upper castes against the egalitarian demands of democracy. Its main targets are anyone who stands in the way of the restoration of the Brahminical social order that places upper-caste men at the top.

— Priya Desai (@PriyaDesai1)

Egalitarianism is focused on equality, not on special treatment or exceptions. Truly egalitarian movements demand equal rights and opportunities—and responsibilities and consequences.

More examples of egalitarian:

“The Lothagam North Pillar Site suggests egalitarian societies were capable of constructing large public monuments.”

—Brooks Hays, United Press International, August 2018