Hobbesian

//ˈhɒb.zi.ən// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A follower of the theories of Thomas Hobbes.

    "Hobbesians purport to describe social order as it is: a constant, iron-fisted effort to crush enemies and to incapacitate criminals."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, relating to, or influenced by Thomas Hobbes or his philosophical theories.

    "a Hobbesian theory of the state"

  2. 2
    Involving unrestrained, selfish, and uncivilized competition. figuratively

    "a cutthroat, Hobbesian environment"

Synonyms

All synonyms
hobbishhobbisthobbisthobbistical

Example

More examples

"a Hobbesian theory of the state"

Etymology

From Hobbes (a surname) + -ian; referring to the 17th century English author Thomas Hobbes, whose best-known work, Leviathan, describes the state of nature in terms of unrestrained, selfish, and uncivilized competition.

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