1. a policy of open discussion of political and social issues and freer dissemination of news and information, especially as practiced in the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s
Usage: historical; political

Examples

• Gorbachev’s policy of glasnost allowed Soviet citizens to discuss political issues more freely.
• The era of glasnost marked a significant shift in Soviet media coverage.
• Glasnost and perestroika were key reforms that transformed the Soviet Union.
• Under glasnost, previously banned books began to be published in the USSR.
• The policy of glasnost encouraged greater transparency in government.
• Many historians credit glasnost with helping to end the Cold War.