What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Populist vs Socialist - What's the difference?

populist | socialist |

As nouns the difference between populist and socialist

is that populist is a person who advocates democratic principles while socialist is one who practices or advocates socialism.

As adjectives the difference between populist and socialist

is that populist is democratic while socialist is of, promoting, practicing, or characteristic of socialism.

populist

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A person who advocates democratic principles
  • A politician who advocates specific policies just because they are popular
  • A person who advocates populism
  • * 2013 , Luke Harding and Uki Goni, Argentina urges UK to hand back Falklands and 'end colonialism'' (in ''The Guardian , 3 January 2013)[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/02/argentina-britain-hand-back-falklands]
  • Critics suggest that Fernández, an unashamed populist and nationalist, is seeking to deflect attention from social disharmony at home.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Democratic
  • (of a political policy) Put forward just because it would be popular
  • Of or pertaining to populism
  • Alternative forms

    * (Bosnia, Serbia ): (l)

    Noun

  • Declension

    {{sh-decl-noun , populist, populisti , populista, populista , populistu, populistima , populista, populiste , populiste, populisti , populistu, populistima , populistom, populistima }}

    socialist

    English

    (Socialism)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of, promoting, practicing, or characteristic of socialism.
  • * 1848 , , Principles of Political Economy , Book II, Chapter 1:
  • ... it must be remembered that in a Socialist farm or manufactory, each labourer would be under the eye not of one master, but of the whole community.
  • * 1949 , , "Why Socialism?", Monthly Review , May 1949:
  • I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.

    Derived terms

    * Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who practices or advocates socialism.
  • * 1848 , , Principles of Political Economy , Book II, Chapter 1:
  • A contest, who can do most for the common good, is not the kind of competition which Socialists repudiate.

    See also

    * capitalist * communist * leftist * leninist * maoist * marxist * stalinist English words suffixed with -ist ----