Definition of SANSCULOTTISM
1
: an extreme radical republican in France at the time of the French Revolution
2
: a radical or violent extremist in politics
Did you know?
At the time of the French Revolution (1787-1799), knee breeches (culottes in French) were the height of fashion for aristocratic men. The men of the general populace could not afford such impractical finery and instead wore the pantaloon (long trousers). When the poorer classes rose up against the government, members of the Revolutionary army used this difference in dress to distinguish themselves from the aristocracy, calling themselves "soldats sans culottes," literally, "soldiers without culottes." Almost immediately, sansculotte became a noun in both French and English.
Examples of sansculotte in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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Its Second Republic, following the Paris uprising of 1848—one led by the children of the sansculottes, an armed working class—lasted only three years, dissipating in Bonapartist restoration.
—
Christopher Ketcham, Harper's magazine, 22 July 2019
Word History
Etymology
French sans-culotte, literally, without breeches
First Known Use
1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of sansculotte was in 1790
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Cite this Entry
“Sansculotte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sansculotte. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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