Deism
//ˈdiːɪz(ə)m// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A religious philosophy and movement prominent in 17th-18th-century England, France, and what is now the United States which rejected supernatural events such as prophecy and miracles, divine revelation, and holy books or revealed religions that assert such things exist. countable, uncountable
- 2 A philosophical belief in the existence of a god (or goddess) knowable through human reason; especially, a belief in a creator god unaccompanied by any belief in supernatural phenomena or specific religious doctrines. uncountable, usually
"If my supposition be true, then the consequence which I have assumed in my Poem may be also true; namely, that Deism, or the principles of natural worship, are only the faint remnants or dying flames of reveal'd religion in the posterity of Noah."
- 3 the form of theological rationalism that believes in God on the basis of reason without reference to revelation wordnet
- 4 Alternative letter-case form of deism. alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 5 Belief in a god who ceased to intervene with existence after acting as the cause of the cosmos. uncountable, usually
Example
More examples"If my supposition be true, then the consequence which I have assumed in my Poem may be also true; namely, that Deism, or the principles of natural worship, are only the faint remnants or dying flames of reveal'd religion in the posterity of Noah."
Etymology
From French déisme, from Latin deus (“god, deity”) + -ism.
Related phrases
More for "deism"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.