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Definition of "constitutionalism" [con•sti•tu•tion•al•ism]

  • Government in which power is distributed and limited by a system of laws that must be obeyed by the rulers. (noun)
  • A constitutional system of government. (noun)
  • Advocacy of such a system. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "constitutionalism" in a sentence
  • "So to be more precise, one of the most difficult unsolved problems in American constitutionalism – perhaps a constitutional “abeyance” or silence – is what a president is supposed to do with an act (presumably passed over a veto) that directly encroaches on presidential power."
  • "The task of a progressive constitutionalism is the task of understanding that the Constitution can be better -- no, * is* better -- than those in power want it to be."
  • "And this idea has become so ingrained in the American mind that it will be difficult to gain credence for the assertion that the terms constitutionalism and absolutism represent the forces or systems which, have really been antagonistic ever since Christianity began to affect and animate social and political relations."