laissez-faire
7 synonyms and 6 antonyms for laissez-faire, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The principle that governments should interfere as little as possible in business and the economy, leaving markets to regulate themselves.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun economics
The principle that governments should interfere as little as possible in business and the economy, leaving markets to regulate themselves.
“Nineteenth-century laissez-faire left factory conditions almost entirely unpoliced.”
Opposites
2. adjective
Deliberately hands-off; allowing people to act as they choose with little supervision or control.
“His laissez-faire management style suits senior staff but leaves juniors adrift.”
Opposites
How to use laissez-faire
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Formal in the economic sense, neutral in the everyday one. Usually hyphenated in English and no longer italicised.
Etymology
From French laissez faire, "let (them) do" — from a longer phrase urging governments to leave commerce alone.
Full origin of laissez-faire →