spiritualism
Americannoun
-
the belief or doctrine that the spirits of the dead, surviving after the mortal life, can and do communicate with the living, especially through a person (a medium) particularly susceptible to their influence.
-
the practices or phenomena associated with this belief.
-
the belief that all reality is spiritual.
-
Metaphysics. any of various doctrines maintaining that the ultimate reality is spirit or mind.
-
spiritual quality or tendency.
-
insistence on the spiritual side of things, as in philosophy or religion.
noun
-
the belief that the disembodied spirits of the dead, surviving in another world, can communicate with the living in this world, esp through mediums
-
the doctrines and practices associated with this belief
-
philosophy the belief that because reality is to some extent immaterial it is therefore spiritual
-
any doctrine (in philosophy, religion, etc) that prefers the spiritual to the material
-
the condition or quality of being spiritual
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spiritualism
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.
This book by an Australian art critic turns a penetrating gaze on female artists who, in the 19th century and into the 20th, embraced spiritualism for sometimes uncertain reasons.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
I had grown up Catholic in Santa Cruz, a California hot spot for new age-y hippies; by the time I was in college I had already rejected both Catholicism and new age spiritualism.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2023
“Personally, I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in god. I don’t believe in any religion. But I understand the power of spiritualism. For me, spiritualism is an emotion. And I write stories filled with emotions.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2022
Raised Baptist, Pettijohn eventually balanced mindfulness work with church, and attends Unity Church, which is a Christian denomination that emphasizes spiritualism and universalism.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2022
But that didn’t mean to everyone that all spiritualism was false.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
