# terrorism

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɛɹəɹɪzəm/ · frequency rank #4,805

## Definitions
1. The system of fear and intimidation put into place during the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France around 1793-94.
2. The use of unlawful violence against people or property to achieve political objectives.
3. The use of unlawful violence against people or property to achieve political objectives.

## Etymology
From French terrorisme, from terreur + -isme. By surface analysis, terror + -ism.
The word first appears in English in 1795 in reference to the Jacobin radicals of France, who ruled during the Reign of Terror.

## Easily confused with
- **terrorist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/terrorism-vs-terrorist)
- **terrorize** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/terrorism-vs-terrorize)
- **terrorists** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/terrorism-vs-terrorists)

## Common misspellings (12)
`etrrorism`, `terorism`, `terorrism`, `terroirsm`, `terrorims`, `terrorismm`, `terrorissm`, `terrorrism`, `terrorsim`, `terrroism`, `trerorism`, `tterrorism`

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