(THEE.oh.kawn; TH as is thin)
n.
A conservative who believes that religion should play a major role in forming and implementing public policy. Also: theo-con.
Example Citation:
Libertarians distrust Bush's tough law enforcement measures; neocons have split with the White House over foreign policy; cultural pessimists underestimated America's spirit; theocons still embrace public religion, a concept instantly outdated by Sept. 11.
— Jeremy Derfner, Bryan Curtis, Joshua Foer, "Cracks in the GOP," Slate Magazine, December 3, 2001
Earliest Citation:
The neoconservatives believe that America is special because it was founded on an idea — a commitment to the rights of man embodied in the Declaration of Independence — not in ethnic or religious affiliations. The theocons, too, argue that America is rooted in an idea, but they believe that idea is Christianity.
— Jacob Heilbrun, "Neocon v. Theocon," The New Republic, December 12, 1996
Notes:
This word combines theological and conservative to form a nice play on neocon, a word that entered the language surprisingly recently (1979, although neoconservative dates to 1964). Newsweek used theocon as a list heading back in 1989, but the first "real" citation is from 1996.
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New words. 2013.