exceptionalism

noun

ex·​cep·​tion·​al·​ism ik-ˈsep-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce exceptionalism (audio)
: the condition of being different from the norm
also : a theory expounding the exceptionalism especially of a nation or region
exceptionalist adjective

Examples of exceptionalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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When world financial markets sensed that America’s central bank was about to be run by politics, interest rates rose, respect for the dollar fell and the end of American economic exceptionalism was posited. Bruce Yandle, Boston Herald, 1 June 2025 But where Trump sees military might and American exceptionalism, his critics see a wannabe strongman putting on a parade for himself. Brett Samuels, The Hill, 28 May 2025 The aristocrats of Rome, many of whom fled to Africa, were shocked and angry; their sense of Roman exceptionalism had been shaken. Time, 27 May 2025 As has long been the case, this resilience is less a product of American exceptionalism than of fundamental economic, political, and institutional weaknesses in the rest of the world. Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for exceptionalism

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exceptionalism was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Exceptionalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exceptionalism. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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