sadopopulism means A political strategy or act in which a leader appeals to people by harming them but convincing them that people they hate are at fault or suffering worse harm. It carries an Arena rating of 1175, earned across 86 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sadopopulism ranks #40 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,177 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,632 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #2,201 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
Why “sadopopulism” is a great word
SADOPOPULISM — [Noun] A political strategy in which a leader gains support by enacting policies that harm their own constituents while convincing them that a despised out-group is to blame or is suffering more severely. From sado- (a combining form relating to sadism, from the Marquis de Sade, denoting the derivation of pleasure from inflicting harm) + populism (a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people). Coined in the 21st century by historian Timothy Snyder. Unlike populism, which promises to empower the common people, or demagogy, which manipulates through rhetoric, sadopopulism is a cynical transaction of material self-injury. It is the fervent vote to strip away one’s own healthcare, the cheer for the poisoning of a shared well, the proud acceptance of a lesser share from a shrinking pie so long as a detested neighbor receives nothing. We come to love the hand that strikes us, so long as it is clenched into a fist against another.
Etymology
From sado- + populism, coined by historian Timothy Snyder, then influenced by earlier terms and concepts like "political sadism".
noun
- A political strategy or act in which a leader appeals to people by harming them but convincing them that people they hate are at fault or suffering worse harm.e.g.“[…] 'sadopopulism', in which people are willing to inflict pain on themselves so long as they can believe that, in the same moment, they are making their enemies hurt more: […]'” — 2019 November 5, Fintan O'Toole, The Politics of Pain: Postwar England and the Rise of Nationalism, Liveright Publishing, →ISBN:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- pseudopopulism 63% match — False populism. vs sadopopulism →
- poplarism 56% match — The situation where a local council contravenes national directives and offers more generous welfare payments to citizens, as in the Poplar Rates Rebellion in Poplar, London, England, in 1921. vs sadopopulism →
- demagogism 55% match — The practices and principles of a demagogue; a pandering to the multitude for selfish ends. vs sadopopulism →
- ochlagogy 54% match — Manipulation of a mob by use of inflammatory rhetoric, casting opprobrium, and by appeal to the lowest common denominator generally; extreme and wholly unscrupulous demagogy; the practice of an ochlagogue. vs sadopopulism →
- neopopulism 54% match — A cultural and political movement, mainly in Latin American countries, distinct from twentieth-century populism in radically combining classically opposed left-wing and right-wing attitudes and using electronic media as a means of dissemination. vs sadopopulism →
- sardism 53% match — A set of political and social currents, of a predominantly liberal and progressive nature, which support the administrative and political autonomy of Sardinia from Italy. vs sadopopulism →
- sadism 52% match — The enjoyment of inflicting pain or humiliation without pity. vs sadopopulism →
- technopopulism 52% match — A political movement advocating the use of information technology to aid democracy. vs sadopopulism →