animism
the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.
the belief that natural objects have souls that may exist apart from their material bodies.
the doctrine that the soul is the principle of life and health.
belief in spiritual beings or agencies.
Origin of animism
1Other words from animism
- an·i·mist, adjective
- an·i·mis·tic [an-uh-mis-tik], /ˌæn əˈmɪs tɪk/, adjective
Words Nearby animism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use animism in a sentence
Instead, Dido might have engaged in small, everyday spiritual acts similar to those we see in animism, where spirits reside in all things rather than a handful of powerful deities.
What archaeologists got wrong about female statues, goddesses, and fertility | Annalee Newitz | February 10, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThis was a new and sophisticated republication of savage animism.
The Necessity of Atheism | Dr. D.M. BrooksHence animism, Totemism, and their numerous subsidiary developments.
Theism or Atheism | Chapman Cohenanimism, an′im-izm, n. a theory which regards the belief in separate spiritual existences as the germ of religious ideas.
This represents a particular form of animism, for the soul of the ancestor is thought to become a god.
Elements of Folk Psychology | Wilhelm Wundt
The sacrificial object is regarded as having a soul, quite in the sense of early animism.
Elements of Folk Psychology | Wilhelm Wundt
British Dictionary definitions for animism
/ (ˈænɪˌmɪzəm) /
the belief that natural objects, phenomena, and the universe itself have desires and intentions
(in the philosophies of Plato and Pythagoras) the hypothesis that there is an immaterial force that animates the universe
Origin of animism
1Derived forms of animism
- animist, noun
- animistic (ˌænɪˈmɪstɪk), 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 animism (1 of 2)
[ (an-uh-miz-uhm) ]
[ (an-uh-miz-uhm) ]
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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