noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A justification of the fundamental goodness of the universe, especially in regard to the existence of evil and suffering in the world; a work or discourse justifying the ways of the universe. uncountable, usually

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek κόσμος (kósmos, “world, universe”) + δίκη (díkē, “justice”); influenced by theodicy.

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