Revisionism

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈvɪʒəˌnɪzəm/

Definitions

1. The act or practice of reexamining and modifying accepted ideas or theories ; a political stance that questions and revises official history, especially regarding controversial events
2. A process of reviewing and altering established beliefs in various fields ; a movement that contests orthodox historical accounts and promotes alternative perspectives
3. The reconsideration and alteration of commonly held views or interpretations ; a political approach that seeks to reinterpret history, often challenging dominant narratives

Etymology: Revisionism is "revision" with the suffix "-ism" attached, and that suffix is the key to its meaning. "Revision" came into English through Old French from Latin "revisio," a noun built on "revisere," meaning "to look at again" or "to see again." Its root is the Latin "visus," from "videre," "to see," so a revision is literally a second look. The "-ism" ending, borrowed from Greek "-ismos" through Latin and French, marks a doctrine, movement or systematic practice. Adding it to "revision" turned a single act of reconsidering into a whole school of thought: a habit of rethinking inherited positions as a principle in itself. The word was formed in English from these two parts, so its history is a simple combination of parts rather than a single borrowing. Its meaning stayed close to the sense of looking again, which is why it still describes the deliberate reexamination of established beliefs.

Synonyms: reinterpretation, reassessment, rethinking, re-evaluation, modification

Antonyms: orthodoxy, traditionalism, conservatism, stagnation, status quo