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rankism

noun
/ˈɹæŋkɪz(ə)m/

Etymology

From rank + -ism, probably by analogy with words like racism and sexism. It was coined by American physicist, author and social reformer Robert Works Fuller (1936–2025).

  1. derived from *h₃reǵ-✻ — “straight, direct”
  2. inherited from *rankaz✻ — “straight”
  3. inherited from *rank✻
  4. inherited from ranc — “proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent, forward, overbearing, showy, ostentatious, splendid, bold, valiant, noble, brave, strong, full-grown, mature”
  5. inherited from rank — “strong, proud”
  6. suffixed as rankism — “rank + ism”

Definitions

  1. Abuse, discrimination, or exploitation based on rank.

    • The grading system is behind most forms of overt rankism in the schools. Many people blame the school entrance examinations, saying that rankism cannot be eliminated as long as the so-called examination hell remains.
    • Rankisms cannot be merely legislated away by an authoritarian system, although legislative efforts can help because they introduce and solidify a third-party socio-cultural role that is watching, judging, and may take action.
    • Rankism is a degrading assertion of rank. It's what's happening when a person, a group, or nation acts as if it outranks another and attempts to demean, humiliate, or exploit it.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for rankism. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA