meliorism
[ meel-yuh-riz-uhm, mee-lee-uh- ]
noun
the doctrine that the world tends to become better or may be made better by human effort.
Origin of meliorism
11855–60; <Latin melior better + -ism
Other words from meliorism
- mel·io·rist, noun, adjective
- mel·io·ris·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use meliorism in a sentence
You see that pragmatism can be called religious, if you allow that religion can be pluralistic or merely melioristic in type.
Pragmatism | William JamesObviously here the writer faces forward into the particulars of experience, which he interprets in a pluralistic-melioristic way.
Pragmatism | William James
British Dictionary definitions for meliorism
meliorism
/ (ˈmiːlɪəˌrɪzəm) /
noun
the notion that the world can be improved by human effort
Origin of meliorism
1C19: from Latin melior better
Derived forms of meliorism
- meliorist, adjective, noun
- melioristic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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