# chauvinism

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈʃəʊ.vɪ.nɪ.zəm/ · frequency rank #53,438

## Definitions
1. Excessive patriotism, eagerness for national superiority; jingoism.
2. Unwarranted bias, favoritism, or devotion to one's own particular group, cause, or idea.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French chauvinisme (“idealistic devotion to Napoleon”), named for Nicolas Chauvin, a legendary and excessively patriotic soldier of the French First Republic. The figure of Chauvin became especially famous as a character in the play La Cocarde Tricolore by the Cogniard brothers.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/chauvinism