Pacifism
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 The support of peace, specifically:; The conviction that it is morally wrong to settle disputes (especially between countries) by war or other violent means. countable, uncountable
"I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war."
- 2 the belief that all international disputes can be settled by arbitration wordnet
- 3 The support of peace, specifically:; The ethical avoidance of inflicting harm on others in one's daily life. countable, uncountable
"Pacifism forbids us from killing would-be murderers in self-defense, but terrorism permits us to slit the throat of a 17-year-old working a night shift at the zoo.[…]Pacifism also has the modal implication that no possible wrongful aggressor can be permissibly harmed, even in possible worlds where doing so is the only feasible means of saving oneself or others."
- 4 the doctrine that all violence is unjustifiable wordnet
- 5 The support of peace, specifically:; The combination of the above two philosophical viewpoints. countable, uncountable
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- 6 The additional challenge of winning a game without harming any enemy characters. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"This is the day on which the Constitution's fundamental spirit, the sovereignty of the people, respect for fundamental human rights, and pacifism, are all reaffirmed."
Etymology
From French pacifisme, from pacifique; pacific + -ism.
Related phrases
More for "pacifism"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.