communism

communism — noun

1. a political and economic system in which all factories, farms, and resources are

1.nounB2
Definition

a political and economic system in which all factories, farms, and resources are owned collectively by the community, with the goal of eliminating class divisions and making everyone contribute work for the common good. The word also describes governments that have put these ideas into practice.

Example

Yusuf's grandfather recalled how communist leaders set wages and prices for all workers.

concrete: communist leaders set wages and prices

Leila argued in her essay that communism aims to end class divisions by sharing resources equally.

collocation: class divisions / sharing resources

Common collocations
  • under communism
  • the rise of communism
  • communism collapsed
  • form of communism
  • communism vs capitalism
Synonyms
  • socialism

    broader category; communism is a more radical form that demands full abolition of private property and class structures

  • Marxism

    the specific body of theory developed by Karl Marx that forms the intellectual basis for communism

  • collectivism

    a cultural or economic value emphasizing group over individual interests, not necessarily tied to a political revolution

Antonyms
  • capitalism

    an economic system based on private ownership of resources and free markets

Grammar Patterns

uncountable noun

Usage Note

Often capitalized (Communism) when referring to a specific political party or regime that follows this ideology, but lowercase when discussing the general theory or concept.

Common Mistakes

Communism and socialism mean the same thing.
Socialism is a broader category, and communism is a more extreme form of it.
The two are related but not interchangeable; communism calls for abolishing all private property and class distinctions, while socialism can allow some private ownership.

Word family

  • communist
    nounB2
  • communist
    adjectiveB2
  • communistic
    adjectiveC1
  • anti-communism
    nounC1
  • anti-communist
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Communism, socialism, Marxism, and collectivism all involve some form of shared or public ownership, but they differ in scope and political history. Socialism is the broad category of economic systems where the state or workers control production; communism is a more radical branch that demands the total elimination of private property and social classes. Marxism is the body of theory by Karl Marx that provides the intellectual foundation for both socialism and communism — not a political system itself. Collectivism is a broader cultural value that prioritizes group welfare over individual interests and is not necessarily tied to revolution or state control. For example, a worker-owned cooperative is socialist or collectivist but not necessarily communist, since it may still operate within a market economy.

socialism ↗Marxismcollectivism

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the spread of communism
  • the fall of communism
  • communist ideology
  • communist party

Phrases

  • communism vs capitalism
  • the principles of communism
  • live under communism

Prepositions

  • under communism
  • the transition from communism
  • the rise of communism

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from French 'communisme', which was formed from 'commun' (common) and the suffix '-isme' (-ism). The French term was based on Latin 'communis', meaning 'belonging to all' or 'shared by many'. It entered English in the 1840s as the name for the revolutionary political movement described by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, drawing on older ideas of common ownership.