Paganism
//ˈpeɪɡənɪzm̩// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any indigenous polytheistic religion. countable, uncountable
"Most people in that region practise their own form of paganism."
- 2 any of various religions other than Christianity or Judaism or Islamism wordnet
- 3 Any of a class of religions often associated with nature rituals. countable, uncountable
"Various neopagan movements have arisen, each advancing its own form of paganism. Some are monotheist."
Example
More examples"Paganism is closer to nature than Christianity."
Etymology
From Latin pāgānismus (“heathenism”), from pāgānus (“peasant, rural, rustic”). The term was used pejoratively by local Orthodox Christian Demonyms to belittle what remained of alternative native ideas and ideals. By surface analysis, pagan + -ism.
Related phrases
More for "paganism"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.