noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A moderate form of political pacifism which allows the use of violence against those seeking to commit greater violence. uncountable, usually
2. 2
   the belief that all international disputes can be settled by arbitration wordnet
3. 3
   General ethical opposition to war or violence; pacifism broadly stated. uncountable, usually
4. 4
   the doctrine that all violence is unjustifiable wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

pacifismpacifismpassivism

Etymology

From pacific + -ism.

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