Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
⚖️ Gradual reform 💭 Possible realities 🌍 Human adaptation
possibilism

possibilism

9.6
A political approach that uses small practical changes within the existing system to make progress
  • noun
  • /pəˈsɪb.ɪ.lɪ.zəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : posibilismo
  • Many politicians support possibilism, believing that small reforms can lead to significant improvements over time.

Examples

  • Indeed, through the tentative and partial approach proposed herein, I have attempted to provide a pragmatic possibilism for the political practice of, and empirical research on, democratization and democracy in Africa.

    Academic text (1993)

  • In promoting possibilism, the party aims to work within the current system to achieve meaningful reforms.

  • The concept of possibilism emphasizes adapting policies gradually rather than pursuing drastic change.

Synonyms

revisionism
vspossibilism
  • Specialized
2 9.1

A political idea that supports changing socialist ideas to accept gradual reforms instead of revolution

prefers practical gradual reform within systems rather than doctrinal departures
reformism
vspossibilism
1 7.8

Belief in making slow changes to laws and society rather than sudden change

focuses on practical gradual changes within existing institutions
Fabianism
vspossibilism
9.9

Belief that socialism should come slowly through legal reforms rather than by revolution

applies the same gradual method but across wider political contexts

Surface Forms

possibilism singular
possibilisms plural

Morphology

possibilism = possible (semi-transparent) = possibil + ism

The suffix '-ism' indicates a doctrine or system, but the specific political context may not be immediately clear to all learners.

Etymology

Possibilism comes from the word possible ('able to be') plus -ism ('belief' or 'view'). A helpful way to remember the political sense is to think of it as the belief in doing what is 'possible'—making practical, gradual changes rather than seeking a full revolution. So, the origin explains why this political approach prefers realistic, achievable reforms.