noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A theory that events are influenced by historical conditions, rather than by people. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   a theory that social and cultural events are determined by history wordnet
3. 3
   The use of historical styles in contemporary art. countable, uncountable
4. 4
   A method of interpretation in Christian eschatology which attempts to associate Biblical prophecies with actual historical events and symbolic beings with historical persons or societies. countable, uncountable

Etymology

Calque of German Historismus, historic + -ism.

Related phrases

neo-historicismnew historicism

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