pluralism
Philosophy.
a theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle.: Compare dualism (def. 2), monism (def. 1a).
a theory that reality consists of two or more independent elements.
Ecclesiastical.
the holding by one person of two or more offices at the same time.
Sociology. cultural pluralism.
state or quality of being plural.
Origin of pluralism
1Other words from pluralism
- plu·ral·ist, noun, adjective
- plu·ral·is·tic [ploor-uh-lis-tik], /ˌplʊər əˈlɪs tɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pluralism in a sentence
But a democratic, pluralist Egypt is a safer neighbor in the long term than one held together by barbed wire and policemen.
Theocratic democracies balance official religions with democratic institutions and pluralist practices.
Instead of fostering a pluralist Zionist conversation, they largely promote a limited set of views.
He held several other preferments, but we forgive him for being a notable pluralist because he made such good use of his money.
They set him before us not only as a landowner in five different counties, but also as the first great pluralist.
After the manner of that age—which Gerald lived to denounce—he soon became a pluralist.
The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales | Giraldus CambrensisI guess in that sense at least, women are the same everywhere—Pluralist or Onist, it doesn't matter.
The One and the Many | Milton LesserI could maintain their pace, of course: but I'm a Pluralist.
The One and the Many | Milton Lesser
British Dictionary definitions for pluralism
/ (ˈplʊərəˌlɪzəm) /
the holding by a single person of more than one ecclesiastical benefice or office
sociol a theory of society as several autonomous but interdependent groups which either share power or continuously compete for power
the existence in a society of groups having distinctive ethnic origin, cultural forms, religions, etc
a theory that views the power of employers as being balanced by the power of trade unions in industrial relations such that the interests of both sides can be catered for
philosophy
the metaphysical doctrine that reality consists of more than two basic types of substance: Compare monism (def. 2), dualism (def. 2)
the metaphysical doctrine that reality consists of independent entities rather than one unchanging whole: Compare monism (def. 2), absolutism (def. 2b)
Derived forms of pluralism
- pluralist, noun, adjective
- pluralistic, 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
Cultural definitions for pluralism
A conviction that various religious, ethnic, racial, and political groups should be allowed to thrive in a single society. In metaphysics, pluralism can also mean an alternative to dualism and monism. A pluralist asserts that there are more than two kinds of principles, whereas the dualist maintains there are only two and a monist only one.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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