traditionalism

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"traditionalism" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“traditionalism” is uncommon English (frequency #65,581 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,581
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The adherence to traditional views or practices, especially with regard to cultural or religious matters.

Key facts for traditionalism
PropertyValue
Headwordtraditionalism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters14
Frequency rank#65,581
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “traditionalism” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). traditionalism lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

traditionalism is uncommon English at frequency #65,581 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for traditionalism in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From traditional + -ism. The correct English form is traditionalism, spelled T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The adherence to traditional views or practices, especially with regard to cultural or religious matters.
  2. 2
    The continuation of theological rituals on the basis that the ritual has always completed, rather than the ritual being a manifestation of theology.
  3. 3
    A philosophical system which makes tradition the supreme criterion and rule of certitude; the doctrine that human reason is of itself radically unable to know with certainty any truth or, at least, the fundamental truths of the metaphysical, moral, and religious order.

Etymology

From traditional + -ism.

Antonyms

rationalismprogressivism

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "traditionalism"?
"traditionalism" is spelled T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-S-M.
What does "traditionalism" mean?
As a noun, "traditionalism" means: The adherence to traditional views or practices, especially with regard to cultural or religious matters.
What is the origin of the word "traditionalism"?
From traditional + -ism. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “traditionalism”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list