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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

big government en · NOUN

Meanings

  1. (US, capitalized, sometimes, uncountable) Governance that consists of large-scale programs, numerous departments and employees, and that entails substantial spending, especially liberal or left-wing governance which emphasizes social entitlements and regulation, and that is considered intrusive by some citizens, especially by conservatives or right-wingers
    • Mr. Clinton inherited a Presidency that had been downsized by Watergate and the end of the cold war. […] Two years ago he declared the end of the era of big government and embarked upon a program of bite-sized policy initiatives. 1998 August 2, John M. Broder, “The Nation: Big Deal”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2021, retrieved 13 Dec 2011:
    • "There is no space for people to have a real discussion about the Fed or drone strikes abroad or the pharmaceutical industry, let alone how our freedoms are being infringed upon by big government," he said. 2013 August 16, Adam Gabbatt, quoting Ron Paul, “The Ron Paul Channel: libertarianism 'unfiltered and uninterrupted'”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 15 Jul 2023:
    • Because he is liberal, temperate and articulate, and because he freely recognizes past Big Business abuses, Wendell L. Willkie, president of huge Commonwealth & Southern Corp., is in a class by himself as a persuasive businessman-critic of the New Deal. […] "Today it is not Big Business that we have to fear," concluded Businessman Wilkie. "It is Big Government." 1940 March 18, “Life on the Newsfronts of the World: Big Government”, in Life, retrieved 13 Dec 2011, page 26:
    • Big Government is never popular in theory, but the disaster aid, school lunches and prescription drugs that make up Big Government have become wildly popular in practice. 2009 May 7, Michael Grunwald, “One Year Ago: The Republicans in Distress”, in TIME, archived from the original on 18 Dec 2011:
    • This is why the Conservative programme for government is founded on such a radical revolt against the statist approach of the Big Government that always knows best. 2010 April 17, David Cameron, “This is a radical revolt against the statist approach of Big Government”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2019:

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Big Government alternative lexicographic

Relateds

big society · big labor · big business · big pharma