Epicureanism

American  

[ep-i-kyoo-ree-uh-niz-uhm, -kyoor-ee-] / ˌɛp ɪ kyʊˈri əˌnɪz əm, -ˈkyʊər i- /

Also Epicurism

noun

1. the philosophical system or doctrine of Epicurus, holding that the external world is a series of fortuitous combinations of atoms and that the highest good is pleasure, interpreted as freedom from disturbance or pain.

2. (lowercase) epicurean indulgence or habits.

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Epicureanism Cultural  

1. A form of hedonism defended by several philosophers of ancient Greece. For the Epicureans, the proper goal of action was pleasure — a long-term pleasure, marked by serenity and temperance.

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Etymology

Origin of Epicureanism

First recorded in 1745–55; epicurean + -ism

Explanation

Epicureanism, which comes from ancient Greek philosophy, is a focus on the importance of pleasure. If you devote yourself to going to the symphony and eating fine foods, it's because of your epicureanism. The philosopher Epicurus developed his ideas as a challenge to Plato. Although today this word is colloquially used to mean reveling in excessive pleasurable activity, that's not the way Epicurus described his philosophy. In fact, he emphasized the importance of a simple life and quiet pleasures. Classical epicureanism was all about the absence of pain and fear, rather than eating an entire chocolate cake while lying in a hammock.

Example Sentences

The philosophic movements that emerged soon after Diogenes’ time, Stoicism and Epicureanism, aimed to help adherents overcome the fear of death.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Having lost sovereignty and self-government, many Greeks sought personal happiness through new philosophies such as Epicureanism and Stoicism.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

He’s an ascetic who is slowly, and hilariously, seduced by Epicureanism.

From New York Times • May 31, 2021

For Delattre, Epicureanism encompasses physics and ethics, a complete world view that he both studies and emulates.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 16, 2015

One other hymn, by Robert Louis Stevenson, likewise adds to pure Epicureanism a note of strenuous intensity in the great task of happiness which was foreign to the more easy-going form of the ancient doctrine.

From The Five Great Philosophies of Life by Hyde, William De Witt