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Politics & Government vocabulary · Parties and Ideologies

Left-wing

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

/ˌleft ˈwɪŋ/adjectiveCore term

In politics & government, left-wing means: Supporting political ideas usually linked with greater social and economic equality, a larger role for the state in the economy and stronger workers' rights.

In Turkish: sol, solcu, sol görüşlü

How it is used

Used for parties, politicians, newspapers and policies. Related expressions are the left, centre-left and far left. The terms come from the seating in the French National Assembly of 1789, where supporters of radical change sat on the left. What counts as left-wing varies from country to country.

Example sentences

  1. The left-wing parties together won about a third of the seats.

  2. Political scientists often place parties on a scale from left-wing to right-wing.

Common collocations

  • left-wing party
  • centre-left
  • far left
  • left-wing policies
  • on the left
  • right-wingSupporting political ideas usually linked with free markets, lower taxes, a smaller economic role for the state and respect for tradition and established institutions.
  • centristHolding moderate political views between the left and the right, and usually preferring compromise and practical solutions to strong ideological positions.
  • ideologyA connected set of ideas and beliefs about how society should be organized and what government should do, which guides a political group or movement.
  • liberalSupporting individual rights and freedoms, tolerance of different views and gradual reform; its exact political meaning varies from country to country.

More terms: Parties and Ideologies

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