Chauvinistic Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How to Use It

Chauvinistic is a word that is commonly used to describe sexistmales. 

Like most words, chauvinistic has taken on more meaning since its origins. Every word has an origin story, and most of the time, the meaning changes a little — sometimes drastically. Chauvinistic isn’t a word that has taken on a completely different meaning, but it has definitely broadened.

We’re going to explain the history and origin of chauvinism and show you all the different ways you can use this term in your writing and conversation.

What Does Chauvinistic Mean? 

Chauvinistic can mean a few different things, according to the American English Dictionary. 

• A feeling or display of extreme patriotism
• An extreme amount of support towards a specific group, sex, or cause. 
• A superior attitude towards the opposite sex. 

Chances are you’ve heard chauvinistic used in at least one of these contexts before — but if not, we’re here to give you tons of information. Maybe you’ll find a use for this word. 

Essentially, chauvinistic means having an unreasonable belief about someone or something. Some people express chauvinistic attitudes towards the opposite race or sex, believing they’re superior. People like this can also be described as narrow-minded or biased.

What Is The Origin of Chauvinistic? 

The word Chauvinistic originated in France and began as the French chauvinisme. 

The term was coined in a play called La Corde Tricolore, which was written and produced by Theodore and Hippolyte Coginords. The play was about a man named Nicolas Chauvin. 

Chauvin was a French soldier that found himself quite fond of Napoleon after the war. His patriotism towards Napoleon and France stemmed from satisfaction with proper compensation post-war. 

This term has since come to refer to any type of ultranationalist, similar to jingoism. Chauvinist is commonly used to describe male superiority complexes — think “male chauvinist” or “chauvinistic pigs.” Even animal rights activists can be considered chauvinistic and are sometimes called “animal chauvinists.”

Why Has Chauvinistic Become Popular Again?

Chauvinistic was popular after its debut but was eventually used less and less. In the wake of the feminist movement, chauvinist and other related words gained popularity again.

Chauvinistic has often been used to describe sexism. Many actors, singers, and influencers speak out on the importance of feminism in America and how sexism shouldn’t still be an issue. 

Male chauvinism is a term that describes the superiority of males over the opposite sex. This term is closely related to misogyny and the belief that women are inferior or less intelligent than men.

While society has progressed in many ways and chauvinistic attitudes aren’t as commonly seen or accepted, that’s not to say women don’t still deal with sexism.

Can Women Be Chauvinistic? 

While it’s not as common, women can be chauvinistic or have superior attitudes. You won’t see this word used as often as male chauvinists, but it is an issue as well. 

It’s not uncommon for people to think male chauvinism is the only type of chauvinism there is, but chauvinism is simply a superiority complex over someone who is different. So, women can definitely be chauvinistic as well. 

When Can You Use Chauvinistic?

Considering chauvinistic is a word to describe someone who is arrogant and biased, you can use this term when describing or explaining someone’s behavior. You can also use it when stating someone is a chauvinist. For example:

I wouldn’t allow my daughter to hang out with a chauvinistic male like yourself.

Chauvinism is a form of extreme belief and passion for a specific group, sex, or cause. This type of belief can be founded on religion, sexual orientation, patriotism, and more. These beliefs are often considered irrational. Most of the time, there is little legitimate evidence to back these chauvinistic beliefs, and they are mostly formed based on biases. 

What Are Some Synonyms for Chauvinistic?

Sometimes certain words don’t fit or “work” in a sentence —- that’s when synonyms come in handy! We’ve formulated a little thesaurus for you with all the synonyms for chauvinistic we could find.

Biased.

Narrow-minded.

Partial.

Slanted.

Unfair.

Dogmatic.

Obstinate.

Partisan.

Small-minded.

Warped.

Opinionated.

Sectarian.

Sexist.

Jingo.

Jingoist.

Superpatriot.

What Are Some Example Sentences of Chauvinistic?

Seeing words used in context makes it easier to use them yourself. We’ve formulated some example sentences below for you to analyze.

• He has an unforgiving chauvinistic attitude towards women.
• I heard the reason he was fired was that he showed chauvinism towards his co-workers.
• The idea was insane, even for a man as chauvinistic as James.
• I could tell from the second he opened his mouth he would be very chauvinistic towards the non-activist of the group. 
• Male chauvinism is unacceptable in this family. 
• She was very angry at her co-worker and felt he wasn’t smart enough for the job because he was a man; she was showing a chauvinistic attitude that made everyone else very uncomfortable.
• She worried her co-workers would be sexist or chauvinist because they were all older men. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. She ended up enjoying her job and the workplace environment tremendously. 
• The leader of the group taught that their beliefs and teachings were the only right or correct way of life — everyone else was wrong and less intelligent than them. 

Conclusion 

Chauvinistic attitudes are everywhere, but that doesn’t mean that others accept them or even tolerate them. Many workplace environments monitor people’s attitudes towards each other. If supervisors notice any inappropriate behavior or unfair treatment, there will be consequences for the guilty party. 

Sources: 

JINGOISM | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

chauvinisme | translation French to English: Cambridge Dictionary

Chauvinist Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com