noun
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Etymology
Origin of theism
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Explanation
Use the noun theism to describe the belief in at least one god. Practicing Catholics, for example, subscribe to theism. If you believe that God created the universe, you believe in theism. Its opposite is atheism, which means not believing in any god or higher spiritual power. There are different types of theism, such as monotheism, which is belief in only one god, and polytheism, belief in more than one god. The root of theism is the Greek word theos, or "god." English philosopher Ralph Cudworth was the first to use the term theism, in the 1600s.
Vocabulary lists containing theism
Power Suffix: -ism
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The Suffix -ism, Part 2
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #9
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
References to the Creator and Nature’s God in the Declaration reflect a general theism that could be acceptable to Christians, Unitarians, deists and others.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2024
Many who regard theism as a backward-looking social force might usefully consider how each of these holidays contains the seeds of rebellion.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 17, 2022
I represented the agnostic position and David Lahti, a biologist and philosopher at the City University of New York, a position more friendly to theism.
From Scientific American ● May 19, 2019
The great merit of Hägglund’s book is that he releases atheism from its ancient curse: its sticky intimacy with theism.
From The New Yorker ● May 13, 2019
Taken thus retrospectively, there could be no difference between materialism and theism.
From The pragmatic theory of truth as developed by Peirce, James, and Dewey by Delton Loring Geyer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
