Absolutism

//ˈæb.səˌluˌtɪz.m̩// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Doctrine of preordination; doctrine of absolute decrees; doctrine that God acts in an absolute manner. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    the doctrine of an absolute being, often related to idealism in philosophy. wordnet
  3. 3
    The principles or practice of absolute or arbitrary government; Synonym of despotism. countable, uncountable

    "The element of absolutism and prelacy was more controlling in the counsels of the rival corporation."

  4. 4
    an ideological belief in the complete and unrestricted power of government. wordnet
  5. 5
    Belief in a metaphysical absolute; belief in Absolute. countable, uncountable
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  1. 6
    a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) wordnet
  2. 7
    Positiveness; the state of being absolute. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    dominance through threat of punishment and violence wordnet
  4. 9
    The characteristic of being absolute in nature or scope; absoluteness. countable, rare, uncountable

    "It was the absolutism of his ambition to be a perfect writer (and perhaps also the perfect son) that imperiled him."

Synonyms

All synonyms
dictatorshipabsolute monarchyabsolute powerautarchyauthoritarianismauthoritarianism

Example

More examples

"We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate."

Etymology

First attested in 1753 (in the theological sense); attested in 1830 in the political sense. From absolute + -ism, based after French absolutisme.

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