neocon (n.)

by 1987, abbreviation for neo-conservative in the U.S. political sense.

Neoconservatism is the first variant of American conservatism in the past century that is in the 'American grain.' It is hopeful, not lugubrious; forward-looking, not nostalgic; and its general tone is cheerful, not grim or dyspeptic. Its 20th-century heroes tend to be TR, FDR, and Ronald Reagan. Such Republican and conservative worthies as Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, and Barry Goldwater are politely overlooked. [Irving Kristol, "The Neoconservative Persuasion," in The Weekly Standard, Aug. 25, 2003]

also from 1987

Entries linking to neocon

neo-conservative (n.)

also neoconservative; used in the modern sense by 1979:

My Republican vote [in the 1972 presidential election] produced little shock waves in the New York intellectual community. It didn't take long — a year or two — for the socialist writer Michael Harrington to come up with the term "neoconservative" to describe a renegade liberal like myself. To the chagrin of some of my friends, I decided to accept that term; there was no point calling myself a liberal when no one else did. [Irving Kristol, "Forty Good Years," The Public Interest, spring 2005]

The term is attested from by 1964 (neo-conservatism is by 1959; new conservative is from mid-1950s), originally often applied to Russell Kirk and his followers, who would be philosophically opposed to the later neocons. From neo- "new" + conservative (n.).

Trends of neocon

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore

conservative

late 14c., conservatyf, "tending to preserve or protect, preservative, having the power to keep whole or safe," from Old French conservatif, from Medieval Latin conservativus, from Latin conservatus, past participle of conservare "to keep, preserve, keep intact, guard," from assi

warrant

c. 1200, "protector, defender," from Old North French warant "defender; surety, pledge; justifying evidence" (Old French garant), from Frankish *warand, from Proto-Germanic *war- "to warn, guard, protect" (source also of Old High German werento "guarantor," noun use of present pa

cipher

late 14c., "arithmetical symbol for zero," from Old French cifre "nought, zero," Medieval Latin cifra, which, with Spanish and Italian cifra, ultimately is from Arabic sifr "zero," literally "empty, nothing," from safara "to be empty;" a loan-translation of Sanskrit sunya-s "empt

astronomy

c. 1200, "astronomy, astrology, scientific or occult study of heavenly bodies," from Old French astrenomie "astronomy, astrology," from Latin astronomia, from Greek astronomia, abstract noun from astronomos, literally "star-regulating," from astron "star" (from PIE root *ster- (2

supplication

late 14c., supplicacioun, "earnest request, entreaty, plea," from Old French suplicacion "humble request" and directly from Latin supplicationem (nominative supplicatio) "a public prayer, thanksgiving day," noun of action from past-participle stem of supplicare "to beg humbly" (i

penthouse

c. 1300, pentis, pendize, "a shed or sloping roof projecting from a main wall or the side or end of a building," from Anglo-French pentiz, a shortening of Old French apentis "attached building, appendage," from Medieval Latin appendicium, from Latin appendere "to hang" (see appen

anecdote

1670s, "secret or private stories," from French anecdote (17c.) or directly from Medieval Latin anecdota, from Greek anekdota "things unpublished," neuter plural of anekdotos, from an- "not" (see an- (1)) + ekdotos "published," from ek- "out" (see ex-) + didonai "to give" (from P

paradigm

late 15c., "an example, a model," from Late Latin paradigma "pattern, example," especially in grammar, from Greek paradeigma "pattern, model; precedent, example," from paradeiknynai "exhibit, represent," literally "show side by side," from para- "beside" (see para- (1)) + deiknyn

cameo

early 15c., kaadmaheu, camew, chamehieux and many other spellings (from early 13c. in Anglo-Latin), "engraving in relief upon a precious stone with two layers of colors" (such as onyx, agate, or shell) and done so as to utilize the effect of the colors, from Old French camaieu an

arbiter

late 14c., "person who has power of judging absolutely according to his own pleasure in a dispute or issue," from Old French arbitre "arbiter, judge" (13c.) and directly from Latin arbiter "one who goes somewhere (as witness or judge)," in classical Latin used of spectators and e

Share neocon

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/neocon

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/neocon">Etymology of neocon by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of neocon. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/neocon

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of neocon,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/neocon.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of neocon.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/neocon. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of neocon.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/neocon (accessed $(datetime)).

updated on August 20, 2020

Remove ads >

Trending words

1. teacher
2. autumn
3. empathy
4. philadelphia
5. research
6. vote
7. pan
8. deluge
9. humble
10. compassion

Dictionary entries near neocon

nemesis

nemo

neo-

neo-classical

neocolonialism

neocon

neo-conservative

neocracy

neogamist

neo-liberal

neolithic