Solidarity means a strong sense of unity, support, or shared purpose among people who have common interests, goals, beliefs, or circumstances. It often involves standing with others and offering support, especially when a group is facing difficulty or working toward a shared cause.
In simple terms, solidarity means standing together with other people rather than leaving them to face a problem alone.
What Does Solidarity Mean in Simple Words?
Imagine several coworkers supporting one colleague who is being treated unfairly. They may have different personalities and opinions, but they come together because they believe the situation should be addressed.
That shared support is solidarity.
Solidarity can involve:
- supporting people who share a common goal
- helping members of a community
- standing behind someone during a difficult situation
- supporting a social or political cause
- cooperating because of shared interests
- taking collective action
The word therefore involves more than simply being together. It usually carries an idea of shared responsibility, mutual support, or common purpose.
Solidarity Definition
As a noun, solidarity describes a relationship of unity and support between people or groups.
A useful way to understand the concept is:
Solidarity is the feeling or practice of standing together because of shared interests, goals, responsibilities, or concerns.
Dictionary sources commonly connect the word with unity, agreement, and support among members of a group. Cambridge particularly emphasizes agreement and support within a group, while Merriam-Webster connects solidarity with common interests, objectives, and standards.
What Does It Mean to Show Solidarity?
To show solidarity means to demonstrate that you support another person, group, or cause.
This support can be expressed through words, actions, participation, donations, public statements, or simply standing alongside people during a difficult moment.
For example:
- Employees attend a meeting to support striking coworkers.
- A community organizes assistance after a natural disaster.
- Students support classmates facing unfair treatment.
- People publicly support victims of violence or discrimination.
- One country expresses support for another during a crisis.
The important point is that solidarity is usually visible in some form of support or shared action.
The phrase “show solidarity” is especially common in political, social, workplace, and international contexts.
What Does “Stand in Solidarity” Mean?
“Stand in solidarity” means to publicly or actively support someone or a group, particularly when they are experiencing a problem, injustice, or struggle.
For example:
“The students stood in solidarity with the teachers.”
This means the students expressed their support for the teachers and identified themselves with their concerns.
Similarly:
“The community stood in solidarity with the affected families.”
Here, the community is showing that it supports those families rather than remaining indifferent to their situation.
The expression “stand in solidarity with” is therefore stronger than simply saying that you understand someone’s situation. It normally communicates support and alignment.
Examples of Solidarity
Solidarity can appear in everyday life as well as in major social or political events.
1. Workplace solidarity
Employees may support a coworker who is facing unfair treatment or participate together in negotiations over working conditions.
2. Community solidarity
Neighbors may work together to help a family after a house fire or organize food and supplies after a disaster.
3. Student solidarity
Students might collectively support a classmate who is being treated unfairly or work together around an issue affecting their school.
4. International solidarity
People or governments may support another population during a humanitarian crisis or international emergency.
5. Social solidarity
Members of a society may support one another through institutions, community organizations, welfare programs, or collective action.
6. Personal solidarity
A person can also show solidarity with a friend or colleague by being present during a difficult experience.
These examples demonstrate that solidarity does not always require a formal organization. It can develop whenever people recognize a shared concern and respond with meaningful support.
Solidarity in a Sentence
Here are some natural examples:
- The workers demonstrated solidarity by supporting their colleagues.
- The community showed solidarity with families affected by the flood.
- Her decision to speak publicly was an act of solidarity.
- The students stood in solidarity with their classmates.
- International solidarity can provide important support during a crisis.
- The team remained united through a strong sense of solidarity.
- His presence at the event was intended as a gesture of solidarity.
What Are the Synonyms of Solidarity?
The best synonym depends on the context.
Common related words include:
- unity
- cooperation
- fellowship
- harmony
- togetherness
- support
- accord
- cohesion
- mutual support
- collective unity
Dictionary sources also associate solidarity with words such as unity, harmony, cooperation, and community.
However, these words are not always interchangeable.
For example, unity can simply mean that people are together or agree. Solidarity usually adds the idea of supporting one another because of shared interests, circumstances, or goals.
Solidarity vs. Unity
These words are closely related but have slightly different emphasis.
Unity generally refers to being joined together or acting as one.
Solidarity emphasizes the relationship of support and shared commitment that brings people together.
For example:
- A team can have unity because everyone agrees on a strategy.
- Workers can demonstrate solidarity by supporting one another during a workplace dispute.
In everyday usage, the two words can overlap, but solidarity often carries a stronger sense of mutual support or collective responsibility.
Solidarity vs. Sympathy
Sympathy means recognizing or sharing concern for another person’s difficulties.
Solidarity generally goes a step further by expressing support or identification with that person or group.
For example, you might feel sympathy for someone who lost their home. Showing solidarity could involve helping them, joining a community effort, or publicly supporting their recovery.
So:
Sympathy = concern for someone’s situation.
Solidarity = support and standing with someone or a group.
The distinction becomes particularly important in social and political contexts.
Types of Solidarity
Solidarity can take many forms depending on the situation.
Social Solidarity
Social solidarity refers to the connections and mutual support that help hold a community or society together.
It can involve shared values, responsibilities, cooperation, and a willingness to support other members of society.
Political Solidarity
Political solidarity occurs when people or groups unite around a political objective, movement, policy, or cause.
Cambridge notes that the term is particularly common when describing support among political groups.
Workplace Solidarity
Workplace solidarity involves employees supporting one another around shared workplace interests, rights, conditions, or concerns.
This is why expressions such as “worker solidarity” and “class solidarity” appear frequently in labor-related discussions. Collins lists class solidarity, working-class solidarity, expression of solidarity, and act of solidarity among common related expressions.
International Solidarity
International solidarity describes support that crosses national boundaries.
It can refer to governments, organizations, or ordinary people supporting another country’s population or a group facing a humanitarian or political challenge.
Community Solidarity
Community solidarity develops when people cooperate to help others within their local community.
Examples include organizing disaster relief, helping vulnerable neighbors, or contributing to community projects.
Why Is Solidarity Important?
Solidarity can make individuals and groups stronger because it reduces isolation and encourages cooperation.
When people believe that others will support them, they may be more willing to confront difficult circumstances or work toward a common objective.
Solidarity can therefore contribute to:
- stronger communities
- collective action
- mutual assistance
- social cohesion
- workplace cooperation
- support during crises
- progress toward shared goals
In social and political philosophy, solidarity has developed into a much broader concept involving relationships, shared obligations, collective action, and the common good.
Where Did the Word “Solidarity” Come From?
The English word solidarity developed through French solidarité and is ultimately connected to the Latin solidus, meaning “solid” or “whole.” Merriam-Webster records 1841 as the first known use of the word in English in the sense defined today.
Its meaning subsequently became important in discussions about social relationships, collective responsibility, politics, labor, and community.
The concept became particularly prominent in nineteenth-century European social and political thought. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains that the term became increasingly prevalent during that period as thinkers considered how shared purpose and social bonds could respond to the individualizing effects of modern commercial and industrial society.
What Is the Solidarity Movement in Poland?
There is another important use of the word Solidarity, with a capital S.
Solidarity was the name of an independent Polish trade-union movement that began in 1980. It became an important force in Poland’s political transformation and played a significant role in the developments that led to free elections in 1989.
This historical meaning is different from the ordinary noun solidarity, which refers to unity and support among people or groups.
How Do You Pronounce Solidarity?
Solidarity is commonly pronounced approximately as:
sol-uh-DAIR-uh-tee
The exact pronunciation differs slightly between British and American English. Cambridge gives British and American pronunciation variants, while Merriam-Webster also provides pronunciation information for the word.
Frequently Asked Questions About Solidarity
1. What is the simple definition of solidarity?
Solidarity means standing together and supporting one another because of shared interests, goals, beliefs, responsibilities, or circumstances.
2. What is an example of solidarity?
Employees supporting coworkers during a workplace dispute, neighbors helping families after a disaster, or people publicly supporting a group facing injustice are all examples of solidarity.
3. What does “show solidarity” mean?
It means demonstrating support for a person, group, or cause, usually through words, actions, participation, or public support.
4. What does “stand in solidarity” mean?
It means standing with and supporting another person or group, especially during a difficult situation or struggle.
5. Is solidarity the same as unity?
Not exactly. Unity means being joined or acting together, while solidarity usually emphasizes support, shared interests, and collective commitment.
6. What is a good synonym for solidarity?
Depending on context, possible synonyms include unity, cooperation, fellowship, harmony, cohesion, togetherness, and mutual support. No single synonym works perfectly in every sentence.
7. What is the opposite of solidarity?
Depending on context, possible opposites include division, disunity, isolation, disagreement, fragmentation, or lack of cooperation.
8. Is solidarity always political?
No. Solidarity can be personal, social, community-based, workplace-related, international, or political. Political solidarity is simply one especially common context for the word.
9. Is solidarity a noun?
Yes. Solidarity is an uncountable noun in its ordinary English usage.
10. What is an “act of solidarity”?
An act of solidarity is an action that demonstrates support for another person, group, or cause. It can be something as simple as publicly expressing support or as substantial as participating in collective assistance. Collins specifically lists act of solidarity and expression of solidarity as common expressions.
Conclusion
The simplest solidarity definition is the act or feeling of standing together with others through shared interests, goals, responsibilities, or support. It can describe something as ordinary as coworkers supporting each other or as significant as an international movement standing behind a political or humanitarian cause.
Although solidarity is closely related to unity, it generally carries a stronger sense of mutual support and collective commitment. Understanding the context is therefore important: showing solidarity, standing in solidarity, social solidarity, and the historical Solidarity movement in Poland all use the same underlying idea of people being connected through shared support, but each has a distinct meaning and context.
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