What does American Dream mean?

Definitions for American Dream
amer·i·can dream

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word American Dream.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. American Dreamnoun

    the widespread aspiration of Americans to live better than their parents did

Wiktionary

  1. American Dreamnoun

    A widespread determination by Americans to provide their children with a better upbringing than their parents were able to provide for them.

  2. American Dreamnoun

    A philosophy that with hard work, courage and determination, anyone can prosper and achieve success.

Wikipedia

  1. American Dream

    The American Dream is the national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals including representative democracy, rights, liberty, and equality, in which freedom is interpreted as the opportunity for individual prosperity and success, as well as upward social mobility for oneself and their children, achieved through hard work in a capitalist society with few barriers. The term "American Dream" was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931, saying that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.Proponents of the American Dream often claim that its tenets originate from the United States Declaration of Independence, which states that "all men are created equal" with the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution is used similarly. It states that the Constitution's purpose is to, in part, "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity".Throughout American history, there have been critics of its national ethos. Some critics point out that American focus on individualism and capital results in materialism, consumerism and a lack of worker solidarity. In 2015, only 10.5 percent of American workers were members of a labor union. The American Dream has also been criticized as a product of American exceptionalism, as it does not acknowledge the hardships many Americans face, namely in regards to the legacies of American slavery and Native American genocide, as well as other examples of discriminatory violence.Belief in the American Dream is often inversely associated with rates of national dissolutionment. Evidence indicates that upward economic mobility has declined and income inequality has risen in the United States in recent decades. In 2020, a poll found only 54 percent of US adults thought the American Dream was attainable for them, 28 percent believed it was unattainable for them personally, while 9 percent rejected the idea of the American Dream entirely. Younger generations were also less likely to believe in the American Dream than their older counterparts.

ChatGPT

  1. american dream

    The American Dream refers to the national ethos and belief system of the United States, in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity, success, and upward social mobility achieved through hard work. It often implies the ability to pursue one's personal version of happiness, including but not limited to the ownership of a house, achieving a good job, and living a life better than one's parents. The American Dream is deeply rooted in the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that "all men are created equal" with the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Wikidata

  1. American Dream

    The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Matched Categories

How to pronounce American Dream?

How to say American Dream in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of American Dream in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of American Dream in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of American Dream in a Sentence

  1. Tony Montgomery:

    It doesn't just represent lost economic opportunity for us but for our children, our communities as well, it makes it that much more difficult to keep up with the rising cost of living, the rising rents and it really feels like that American dream of home ownership is just never going to be attainable. And that's disappointing because there are things that can be done about it.

  2. June Deery:

    The great mythology of the American Dream encourages people to think they can aspire to be wealthy in their lifetime, so they may think they are viewing a future projection of their own situation.

  3. Christian Badillo:

    It's a slap in the face to the American dream and to the other kids in the Chicago Public School system.

  4. President Biden:

    I have repeatedly called on Congress to pass the American Dream and Promise Act, and I now renew that call with the greatest urgency, it is my fervent hope that through reconciliation or other means, Congress will finally provide security to all Dreamers, who have lived too long in fear.

  5. Jack Ciattarelli:

    This isn’t campaign rhetoric. This is a fact, this will be one of the most dynamic and compelling places to do business. As an M.B. A., C.P.A., and a two-time business owner, I know exactly what we need to do to our tax code to make New Jersey a better place to do business so we can create more jobs. I want people to believe they can achieve their American dream here in New Jersey again.


Translations for American Dream

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for American Dream »

Translation

Find a translation for the American Dream definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"American Dream." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/American+Dream>.

Discuss these American Dream definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for American Dream? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    American Dream

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    close fighting during the culmination of a military attack
    A assault
    B match
    C accident
    D bowel

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for American Dream: