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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Also, the belief in American exceptionalism is dropping among millennials, born between 1981 and 1996. Jacob Ware, The Conversation, 12 June 2025 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, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025 And obviously the work of Malcolm X and Baldwin and Hansberry is very key here in articulating this different vision, this critique of American exceptionalism that’s global and Pan-African in scope. Ken Makin, Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2025 The concept of extraterrestrial life has long challenged human exceptionalism. David Chauvet, JSTOR Daily, 26 Mar. 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 17 Jun. 2025.

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