protofascist

See also: proto-fascist

English

Gabriele D’Annunzio is widely regarded among historians as a protofascist.

Alternative forms

• proto-fascist

Etymology

proto- +‎ fascist

Adjective

protofascist (not comparable)

1. (politics) Showing the beginnings of fascism. [20th c.]

   Hypernym: prefascist

   • 1991 August 9, Jack Helbig, “Marie and Bruce”, in Chicago Reader‎^[1]:

     Even Lemon, for all her protofascist beliefs, wins our sympathy.

   • 2008 April 7, Adolph Reed Jr., The Nation‎^[2], archived from the original on 18 March 2009:

     When Newt Gingrich and his protofascist comrades took over Congress in 1994, they sneeringly boasted that they intended to take the federal government back to the 1920s.

Noun

protofascist (plural protofascists)

1. (historical) One whose beliefs resembled fascism before the founding of fascism in 1919. [20th c.]

   Synonym: prefascist

   The Social Darwinists are sometimes considered protofascists.

2. (derogatory) One whose opinions or policies show the beginnings of fascism.

   That congressman is a protofascist.

   • 1989 April 30, Martha Bayles, “Taking Sitcoms Seriously”, in The New York Times‎^[3], →ISSN:

     Along with stereotype-mongering phrases like “redneck America's life in the electronic theme park,” he occasionally reduces his countrymen to mindless proto-fascists.

Dutch

Alternative forms

• proto-fascist

Etymology

From proto- +‎ fascist.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈproː.toːˌfɑ.sɪst/, /ˈproː.toːˌfɑ.ʃɪst/
• Hyphenation: pro‧to‧fas‧cist

Noun

protofascist m (plural protofascisten, diminutive protofascistje n, feminine protofasciste)

1. protofascist