Essentialism

noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The view that objects have properties that are essential to them. countable, uncountable

    "More problematic is the essentialism that interests modal logicians, namely "the view that some attributes belong to an object by necessity whereas others belong to it contingently.""

  2. 2
    The view that all members of certain groups of people (such as those with the same race, gender, age, or sexual orientation) have common, essential traits inherent to the defining feature of the group; (also) behavior or statement(s) that reflect such a view. countable, uncountable

    "A closer examination of the components of essentialism is required for a better understanding of the relation between essentialism and prejudice toward the two social categories of interest in this dissertation, African Americans and gay men."

  3. 3
    The doctrine that there are certain traditional concepts, values, and skills that are essential to society and should be taught to all students. countable, uncountable

    "If a curriculum is dedicated to getting back to the basics, then we can be sure that the guiding philosophy is that of essentialism."

  4. 4
    A lifestyle that seeks to minimize nonessentials in order to focus on what is important. countable, uncountable

    "In this example is the basic value proposition of Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter."

  5. 5
    The theory that human beings are by nature (i.e. essentially) good and that evil is the product of society. countable, uncountable

    "I should also mention that Rousseau's essentialism, unlike many of his contemporaries', is rather limited."

Example

More examples

"More problematic is the essentialism that interests modal logicians, namely "the view that some attributes belong to an object by necessity whereas others belong to it contingently.""

Etymology

From essential + -ism.

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