Word.ws English Dictionary

Butskellism

Butskellism noun: a centrist economic policy obtaining in post-war Britain, upheld by both Conservative and Labour Chancellors.

Noun

Butskellism (uncountable)

  1. (UK, historical) A centrist economic policy obtaining in post-war Britain, upheld by both Conservative and Labour Chancellors.
    • The next few weeks will show whether the Opposition will seize this chance of golden silence; or whether, in a Brown fury, it is going to throw the opportunity for constructive Butskellism away.1954 February 13, The Economist
    • And then there was a sort of sensation at the door and in came Margaret Thatcher. Rab’s shell crackled and contracted a little, as he tried to look flattered by the attention of his new leader: she whose whole purpose it was to cram Butskellism as harshly as possible into the WPB of history.1994, Christopher Hitchens, ‘On Spanking’, London Review of Books, volume 16, number 20

Origin of Butskellism

Blend of Butler + Gaitskell + -ism, after Rab Butler, the Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer 1951–55, and his Labour predecessor Hugh Gaitskell 1950–51.

Questions about Butskellism

What does Butskellism mean?
Butskellism means a centrist economic policy obtaining in post-war Britain, upheld by both Conservative and Labour Chancellors.
What part of speech is Butskellism?
Butskellism is a noun.

Words near Butskellism in the dictionary

  1. butoxylate
  2. butralin
  3. butriptyline
  4. buts
  5. Butskellian
  6. Butskellism
  7. butsudan
  8. butsudans
  9. butt
  10. butt and ben
  11. butt bag

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Butskellism (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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