Definition of "abolitionism" in English

noun

1. Support for the abolition of something; the tenets of abolitionists.

   • Abolitionism is based on the moral conviction that social life should not and, in fact, cannot be regulated effectively by criminal law …. As a social movement committed to the abolition of the prison or even the entire penal system, abolitionism originated in campaigns for prisoners' rights and penal reform.

2. (historical, US) Support for the abolition of slavery.