What does fogyism mean?
Fogyism is the name for a body of attitudes considered old-fashioned, conservative, and resistant to change. Unlike fogey, which labels a person, fogyism names the ideas or outlook attributed to such people. The term is usually critical: it suggests not merely liking an older custom, but defending it against change on ideological or sentimental grounds. In political and cultural argument, it can identify resistance to reform, nostalgia for an imagined past, or stubbornness masquerading as prudence. Because the accusation can be used to dismiss another person's position without examining it, fogyism is best employed where the relevant practices or principles are specified. Even so, the word is useful because it names a familiar kind of cultural conservatism while also warning readers that labels can carry a polemical edge.
nounThe principles, attitudes, or practices regarded as old-fashioned, conservative, and resistant to change.
- Adherence to old-fashioned, conservative, or resistant-to-change principles and attitudes.
"The speech was dismissed as political fogyism, its appeal to an idealized past doing little to address contemporary problems."
"Critics dismissed the proposal to remove the ceremonial fountain as little more than institutional fogyism."
"Her lecture warns that nostalgia can become a form of fogyism when it prevents institutions from adapting."
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon; the singular is normally used as a mass noun.
"The author examines the various institutional fogyisms that have obstructed technological progress."
Fogyism is not old-fashioned style; it is the conviction that change itself is the enemy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fogyism
Fogyism was formed in the 19th century by adding the suffix -ism to fogy, a term for a person who held old-fashioned opinions. Fogy and its variant fogey were already in use by the late 18th century, although the precise origin of those words remains uncertain. Fogyite, now uncommon, was another term for an adherent of conservative or old-fashioned views.
Related word forms
How fogyism is actually used
The term is chiefly critical and often political or cultural. It can describe specific practices, but it may also function polemically as a broad label used to dismiss opposing views without examining their merits.
Easily confused with fogyism
A fogy is a person regarded as holding old-fashioned opinions, whereas fogyism is the body of conservative attitudes or principles attributed to such people.