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Glite Dictionary
birtherism

birtherism

3 9.8
A belief that a public leader was not born in the country and so cannot hold public office
  • noun
  • /ˈbɜrθərˌɪzəm/
  • Literature
translation icon : birtherismo
  • The thing fueling conservative voters' enthusiasm is this blatant hatred—in the form of racism, birtherism, and careless disrespect for the President of the United States.
  • birtherism conspiracy
  • theory known as birtherism

Liz Cheney fed Obama birtherism rumors.

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Examples

  • The political discussions often became heated when birtherism was brought up as a topic.

  • Indeed, the level of birtherism among Republicans is the highest it has been this year.

    Blog text (19)

  • Still, he didn't fully disavow birtherism.

    Blog text (20)

  • When I visited the area at the same point in the race in 2008, birtherism had already spread like wildfire, and anti-communist signs were everywhere.

    Blog text (18)

  • Young-Earth Creationism, Global Warming Denialism, Supply-Side Economics, Birtherism, and the claim that the current administration is "socialist" are all of a piece with, e.g., Paul Ryan's budget arithmetic.

    Blog text (6)

  • Many critics argue that birtherism undermines trust in the democratic process and fuels division.

  • During the 2016 election, birtherism resurfaced as a controversial issue among the candidates.

Synonyms

birther movement
vsbirtherism
  • Literature
2 8.6

A political group that says a public figure was not born in the country and so cannot be president

is broader covering both private belief and organised campaign
birther conspiracy
vsbirtherism
  • Literature
1 9.9

A false political claim that a public figure was not born in the country they say

is the movement or belief that questions eligibility for public office

Surface Forms

birtherism singular
birtherisms plural

Morphology

birtherism = birther + ism (semi-transparent) = birth + er + ism

The word is built from the specialized noun 'birther' plus '-ism', so the structure is clear even though the referent is a specific political movement.

Etymology

Birtherism comes from birth ('being born') plus the ending -ism ('a belief or system'). So birtherism names the political belief that a person was not born in the country and therefore should not be allowed to hold public office.