What does whig mean?
Whig is chiefly a historical designation for members of political parties and factions opposed to concentrated or absolutist royal power. In Britain and Ireland, Whigs formed a major parliamentary group from the late seventeenth century, supporting constitutional monarchy, Protestant succession, and limits on royal authority. Their principal opponents were the Tories, with whom they formed one of the enduring political divisions in British history. A separate American Whig Party operated from the 1820s to the 1850s and took its name from the British movement; it opposed the Jacksonian Democrats and promoted nationalism and economic development. The word also has an older Scottish religious sense, referring to a Presbyterian opponent of the Covenanters. Today, “Whig” survives mainly in political history, scholarship, and discussions of nineteenth-century British and American party systems. It remains a useful word because it identifies the political traditions from which later debates about limited government, constitutionalism, and party conflict developed.
nounA member or supporter of a historical Whig party, especially the British and Irish party that favored constitutional monarchy and opposed royal absolutism. The term also refers to members of the nineteenth-century US Whig Party.
- British and Irish history: A member or supporter of the Whig party, which favored constitutional monarchy and limits on royal power, particularly in opposition to the Stuarts.
- United States history: A member or supporter of the nineteenth-century Whig Party, which promoted nationalism and opposed the Democratic Party.
- Scottish history: A Presbyterian opponent of the Covenanters, especially during the religious and political conflicts of the seventeenth century.
"The Whigs in Parliament opposed James II and supported the Protestant succession."
"Whig politicians resisted the royal claims of James II and his successors."
"The American Whig Party opposed the Jacksonian Democrats and drew support from planters, merchants, and reform-minded citizens."
The standard plural is Whigs, normally capitalized when referring to the historical parties or their adherents.
"Several Whigs joined the opposition in Parliament."
Whig was one of the two great rival labels—Whig and Tory—that defined British politics for generations.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whig
Whig became established as a political label in seventeenth-century Scotland during conflicts involving the Covenanters and supporters of the Stuart monarchy. The name was later adopted in England and Ireland for the anti-Stuart parliamentary faction, and the nineteenth-century American Whig Party was named in reference to the British Whigs. The term's deeper linguistic origin is uncertain, and no certain cognates can safely be identified.
Related word forms
How whig is actually used
The word is now chiefly historical and is normally capitalized when referring to the British, Irish, or American parties and their members. Its modern use can also carry the implication of opposition to excessive royal power.
Easily confused with whig
A wig is a covering of hair worn on the head, whereas a Whig was historically a member of a political party or faction.