What does agism mean?
Agism — more commonly spelled ageism — is prejudice or discrimination directed at people because of their age. Although it can affect the young, it is most frequently aimed at older adults, manifesting in assumptions that they are less capable, less adaptable, or less valuable than their younger counterparts. In practice, agism appears in hiring and promotion decisions, mandatory retirement policies, healthcare rationing, advertising, and everyday humor about aging. The term entered English in the late 1960s, coined by American gerontologist Robert Butler on the model of racism and sexism, and it has since become central to debates about equality and human rights. Related adjective forms such as ageist (or agist) describe attitudes, practices, or policies that embody this bias. Because populations are aging worldwide, awareness of agism has grown considerably, and many countries now have laws specifically prohibiting age-based discrimination in employment.
nounDiscrimination or prejudice against people on the basis of their age, especially against older people. The spelling "agism" is a less common variant of the standard form "ageism".
- Prejudice or discrimination against people because of their age, most often directed at older adults.
- More broadly, any stereotyping or unequal treatment based on age, including against younger people.
"The company's hiring policy was criticized for blatant agism against applicants over fifty."
"She filed a complaint after being passed over for promotion in what she believed was a case of workplace agism."
"Campaigners argue that casual jokes about forgetfulness in old age are a subtle form of agism."
Rarely pluralized; the plural appears mainly when referring to distinct instances or types of age-based discrimination.
"The report catalogued the various agisms faced by workers across different generations."
Coined in 1969 by gerontologist Robert Butler, agism was modeled directly on racism and sexism — making it one of the youngest 'isms' in the English language.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of agism
The word was coined in 1969 by American psychiatrist and gerontologist Robert N. Butler, who deliberately patterned it on "racism" and "sexism" to name what he saw as a parallel form of prejudice. It combines "age" with the suffix "-ism", which forms nouns denoting discriminatory ideologies or systems of belief. Both spellings, "ageism" and "agism", were recorded from the outset, but "ageism" quickly became dominant. The root "age" itself derives from Old French "aage" (from Vulgar Latin *aetaticum), ultimately from Latin "aetas", meaning a period of life.
Related word forms
How agism is actually used
The spelling "agism" is legitimate but markedly less common than "ageism", which is preferred in formal writing and journalism. The word carries strongly negative connotations, as it names a form of prejudice. It is used in both everyday and academic contexts, particularly in discussions of employment law, healthcare, and media representation.
Easily confused with agism
"Ageism" is the standard, far more common spelling; "agism" is simply an accepted variant spelling with the identical meaning.