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| n. 1. Social instability caused by erosion of standards and values. 2. Alienation and purposelessness experienced by a person or a social group as a result of a lack of standards, values, or ideals: “We must now brace ourselves for disquisitions on peer pressure, adolescent anomie and rage” (Charles Krauthammer). [French, from Greek anomiā, lawlessness, from anomos, lawless : a-, without; see A-1 + nomos, law; see nem- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] a·nomic (ə-nŏmĭk, ə-nōmĭk) adj. |
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