deism

noun

Definition of deismnext
as in paganism

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deism This vague gesture in the direction of deism has no antecedent in the book, no moral or theological trajectory to make Bambi’s insight meaningful or satisfying. — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 Those intuitions usually commended a staid deism and scorn for those whose beliefs extended any further. — Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021 Our Founding Fathers were mostly influenced by deism. — WSJ, 15 Jan. 2021 These concepts readily passed from Rousseau’s sentimental deism, to Hegel’s doctrine of world-historical progress, to Marx, and to progressivism today. — John D. Hagen, National Review, 20 Aug. 2020 And yet Kelso returned to a kind of deism after the war. — D.g. Hart, WSJ, 22 Aug. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deism
  1. paganism
  2. theism
  3. pantheism
  4. theology
  5. monotheism
  6. polytheism
  7. doctrine
  8. dogma
Noun
  • All across Central Europe, a fascination with runes and folk magic aligns with both right-wing xenophobia and left-wing paganism.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Despite its allegorical significance about paganism, the snake myth has persisted unquestioned.
    — Gemma Allen, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of paganism
Noun
  • While most of the Empire was being immersed in a religion which was a synthesis of Roman institutions, Greek philosophy and Hebrew theism, a subset of the population of philosophical inclination was being drawn into a religious system descended from Hellenistic paganism.
    — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012
  • Another frequent topic of disbelief among Edge responders was theism and its anti-science offshoots---in particular the belief in intelligent design, and the belief that the Earth is only a few thousand years old.
    — Jennifer Welsh, Discover Magazine, 23 Nov. 2010
Definition of theism
Noun
  • In 1809, Friedrich’s budding pantheism landed him in hot water.
    — Zachary Fine, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
  • Spinoza was infamous for his sometimes inscrutable variety of pantheism, in which God no longer sits outside Nature, paring his fingernails (James Joyce’s joke), but effectively is Nature, inextricable from it.
    — James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Definition of pantheism
Noun
  • The pontiff has been critical of the Trump administration’s mass deportation of migrants and has disputed Vance’s interpretation of theology.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Elwell taught graduate students at Wheaton and specialized in Christology, which is the branch of theology concerning Jesus Christ.
    — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Definition of theology
Noun
  • Freud, too, proposed that Moses was an Egyptian prince who invented monotheism (or stole it from Akhenaten).
    — Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Freud, too, proposed that Moses was an Egyptian prince who invented monotheism (or stole it from Akhenaten).
    — Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Definition of monotheism
Noun
  • Both discoveries date to the period when the Roman Empire was transitioning from polytheism to Christianity.
    — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Religious history Fascinating finds related to religious history tell a story of diverse belief systems from the polytheism of the ancient Greeks and Romans to Buddhism and Christianity.
    — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of polytheism
Noun
  • Compared with the fundamentalism of al-Qaida or Hamas, the doctrines of the Bolsheviks, the nationalism of the Nazis or the sun god worship of the Aztecs, Christianity does indeed seem not too bad.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Roth said employees at the charity would have to be expressing and inculcating religious doctrine, such as requiring participation in a prayer before a meal is served at a soup kitchen.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of doctrine
Noun
  • Brin, like many in Silicon Valley, is seemingly committed to the dogma that the current trajectory of generative AI will lead to the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
    — Ryan Whitwam, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Part Phil Jackson, part Pete Carroll and Bill Walsh, the dogma of Steve Kerr was coming to Golden State.
    — Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of dogma

Browse Nearby Words

deigns
deism
deisms
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Cite this Entry

“Deism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deism. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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