Dictionary

laissez faire en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• lā'zā (General-American) '
• lĕz'ā (General-American)
• /ˈleɪseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/ (UK)
• lā'sā (General-American) '
• /-(ˌ)zeɪ/ (General-American)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈlæseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/ (UK)
• /ˌleɪ-/ (General-American)
• /ˌlɛ(ˌ)seɪ ˈfɛəɹ/ (General-American)
• lĕs'ā fârʹ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from French laissez faire (“leave it be”, literally “let do”).

Meanings

1. Practicing or representing governmental noninterference, or minimal interference, especially in economic affairs; pertaining to free-market capitalism.
   • I think the city should take a laissez faire approach to this; getting involved would only make things worse.
2. Advocating such noninterference.
   • The Senator claims to be laissez faire, but he voted in favor of the subsidies.
   • While laissez-faire economy was the product of deliberate State action, subsequent restrictions on laissez-faire started in a spontaneous way. Laissez-faire was planned; planning was not. 2001 [1944], Karl Polanyi, “12. Birth of the Liberal Creed”, in The Great Transformation:
3. Resulting from such noninterference.
   • The price ceiling was well below the laissez faire price that demand would have supported, so there were always shortages.
4. (of a person) Avoiding interference in other people's affairs; choosing to live and let live.

Forms

Relateds

let nature take its course · laissez aller · hands off · let it be · laissez-passer · benign neglect

Synonyms

catholic · broad-minded · permissive · permissible · liberal · laissez faire · latitudinarian · forbearing · open-minded · forbearing · avuncular · indulgent · open-handed · tolerant · hands off · sufferable · indulgent · lenient

Translations (3)

is afskiptalaus (of a person: avoiding interference in other people's affairs) · is afskiptaleysis- (of a person: avoiding interference in other people's affairs) · fi laissez-faire (economics, politics: practicing or representing governmental noninterference, or minimal interference)

laissez faire en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• lā'zā (General-American) '
• lĕz'ā (General-American)
• /ˈleɪseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/ (UK)
• lā'sā (General-American) '
• /-(ˌ)zeɪ/ (General-American)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈlæseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/ (UK)
• /ˌleɪ-/ (General-American)
• /ˌlɛ(ˌ)seɪ ˈfɛəɹ/ (General-American)
• lĕs'ā fârʹ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from French laissez faire (“leave it be”, literally “let do”).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) A policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs.
   • While laissez-faire economy was the product of deliberate State action, subsequent restrictions on laissez-faire started in a spontaneous way. Laissez-faire was planned; planning was not. 2001 [1944], Karl Polanyi, “12. Birth of the Liberal Creed”, in The Great Transformation:
   • In brief, all this Mammon-Gospel of Supply-and-demand, Competition, Laissez-faire, and Devil take the hindmost, begins to be one of the shabbiest Gospels ever preached on Earth; or altogether the shabbiest. 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, chapter 9, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book I (Proem), page 106:
2. (uncountable) A policy of non-interference by authority in any competitive process.

Forms

Translations (21)

fi laissez-faire-politiikka (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · ja レッセフェール (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · fr laisser-faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · pt laissez-faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · sv laissez-faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · id laissez faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · vi tự do phóng nhiệm (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · is afskiptaleysi stjórnvalda (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · cmn 放任 (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · sv låt gå (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · tr laissez-faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · ms laissez-faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · cmn 不干涉 (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · ka ჩაურევლობა (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · ru невмеша́тельство (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · ja 自由放任 (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · ru лессе-фе́р (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · fr laissez-faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · cmn 自由放任 (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · da laissez faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs) · de Laissez-faire (economics: a policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs)