What does "brahmanism" mean?

the religious beliefs of ancient India as prescribed in the sacred Vedas and Brahmanas and Upanishads

What is a synonym for "brahmanism"?

Common synonyms include: brahminism, religion, sect.

name

name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
the religious beliefs of ancient India as prescribed in the sacred Vedas and Brahmanas and Upanishads wordnet
2
the religious and social system of orthodox Hinduism wordnet

Proper Noun

1
The principles and religious practice of the Brahmins, aspects of Hinduism as practiced by the Brahmin caste of India.
2
Historical Vedic ritualism, contrasted with Shramana traditions.
"Alongside Brahmanism was the non-Aryan Shramanic culture with its roots going back to prehistoric times."
3
The conduct or attitudes ascribed to the social or cultural elite within a given society.
"I am sorry to say that I have found it uphill and exasperating work trying to impose Joyce on such “intellectual” people, or people whose opinion carries weight as I know, in London. … There is a strong body of critical Brahminism, destructive and conservative in temper, which will not have Joyce."

"Alongside Brahmanism was the non-Aryan Shramanic culture with its roots going back to prehistoric times."

From brahman + -ism or brahmin + -ism. Introduced in 1816 as Brahmenism by George S. Faber (OED).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.