Meaning & use
communism
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A theory and system in which the main resources and industries are owned by the community and wealth is meant to be shared equally.
Grammar: Uncountable and usually lowercase: the spread of communism.
Patterns
- the collapse of communism
Communism was the official ideology of several states in the twentieth century.
The professor compared communism with capitalism.
Many Eastern European countries moved away from communism in 1989.
noununcountable
The rule of a state by a party that follows this system.
Grammar: Sometimes capitalized when naming a historical movement.
Patterns
- under communism
She grew up under communism and remembers the long lines for bread.
Life under communism differed greatly between countries.
Common combinations
- fall of communism
- The fall of communism changed the region.
- under communism
- Her parents lived under communism.
- spread of communism
- Leaders feared the spread of communism.
- collapse of communism
- Books about the collapse of communism filled the shelf.
Synonyms and how they differ
- socialism
- Is a milder system that allows more private property; communism aims for full collective ownership.
- Marxism
- Is the body of theory that communism draws on.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: communism or communalism?
communism vs communalism
Communalism means loyalty to one's own community or group, not the economic system.
Practice
Which system is most opposed to communism?
Choose one answer.
Capitalism is built on private ownership of the means of production, the opposite of communism's collective ownership.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “communism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.