1. A method of interpreting the U.S. Constitution based on the meaning of its text at the time it was written or ratified.
Usage: legal/political; often used in constitutional law and judicial philosophy

Examples

• The Supreme Court justice argued that originalism requires judges to interpret the Constitution according to its original public meaning.
• Critics of originalism contend that it ignores how society and technology have evolved since the Constitution was drafted.
• Originalism has become increasingly influential in recent Supreme Court decisions.
• Legal scholars debate whether originalism or a more flexible approach better serves modern constitutional interpretation.
• The judge's originalist approach led her to focus on what the Framers intended rather than contemporary values.