Ostrichism
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The act of hiding, often unsuccessfully, by ducking one's head out of view. uncountable
"After a short delay, during which several aristocratic carriages rolled by—at which periods the Marquess adopted the celebrated system of ostrichism, and hid his head—the omnibus rattled on towards town."
- 2 A policy of burying one's head in the sand, that is, ignoring the reality of a situation. derogatory, uncountable
"[Torpey] had, upon the principles of ostrichism, sewn up a valuable diamond in the waistband of his trousers, which he fondly intended for his fond and loving wife; and accomplice in his crimes; […]"
Example
More examples"After a short delay, during which several aristocratic carriages rolled by—at which periods the Marquess adopted the celebrated system of ostrichism, and hid his head—the omnibus rattled on towards town."
Etymology
From ostrich + -ism. The ostrich is often erroneously believed to bury its head in the sand to hide from predators.
Related phrases
More for "ostrichism"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.