What does "deist" mean?
A person who believes in deism.
Deist
/ˈdeɪ.ɪst/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who believes in deism.
- Grammar: deist is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: adherent, allotheist, anthropolater, anthropotheist.
- Useful contrasts: agnostic, atheist, atheistic.
- Usage evidence: He was a deist, of course, but his time was before the discovery of natural selection so he can be readily forgiven for that.
How to use "deist"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "deist" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "deist" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "deist" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "deist" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who believes in deism.
"It was reason that led most of the Enlightenment thinkers to repudiate a belief in an anthropomorphic God who took an interest in human affairs.⁶ The application of reason revealed that reports of miracles were dubious, that the authors of holy books were all too human, that natural events unfolded with no regard to human welfare, and that different cultures believed in mutually incompatible deities, none of them less likely than the others to be products of the imagination. (As Montesquieu wrote, “If triangles had a god they would give him three sides.”) For all that, not all of the Enlightenment thinkers were atheists. Some were deists (as opposed to theists): they thought that God set the universe in motion and then stepped back, allowing it to unfold according to the laws of nature. Others were pantheists, who used “God” as a synonym for the laws of nature. But few appealed to the law-giving, miracle-conjuring, son-begetting God of scripture. […] Organisms are replete with improbable configurations of flesh like eyes, ears, hearts, and stomachs which cry out for an explanation. Before Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace provided one in 1859, it was reasonable to think they were the handiwork of a divine designer—one of the reasons, I suspect, that so many Enlightenment thinkers were deists rather than outright atheists. Darwin and Wallace made the designer unnecessary. […] before the concepts of information and computation were elucidated, it was reasonable for someone to be a mind-body dualist and attribute mental life to an immaterial soul (just as before the concept of evolution was elucidated, it was reasonable to be a creationist and attribute design in nature to a cosmic designer). That’s another reason, I suspect, that so many Enlightenment thinkers were deists."
- 2 Alternative spelling of deist. alt-of, alternative
- 3 a person who believes that God created the universe and then abandoned it wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of or relating to deism and deists.
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to deism wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from German.
Example
"He was a deist, of course, but his time was before the discovery of natural selection so he can be readily forgiven for that."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "deist"?
Common synonyms include: adherent, allotheist, anthropolater, anthropotheist, autotheist, cosmotheist.
How do you use "deist" in a sentence?
He was a deist, of course, but his time was before the discovery of natural selection so he can be readily forgiven for that.
How do you pronounce "deist"?
Pronounced /ˈdeɪ.ɪst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From French déiste, from New Latin deista, from Latin Deus (“God”) + -ista (“-ist”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from German Deist, from a small place called Deisten near Celle and Hanover.