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axiom
[ ak-see-uhm ]
/ ˈæk si əm /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a self-evident truth that requires no proof.
a universally accepted principle or rule.
Logic, Mathematics. a proposition that is assumed without proof for the sake of studying the consequences that follow from it.
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Origin of axiom
1475–85; <Latin axiōma<Greek: something worthy, equivalent to axiō-, variant stem of axioûn to reckon worthy + -ma resultative noun suffix
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH axiom
1. adage, aphorism, apothegm, axiom , maxim, proverb2. assumption, axiom , premise, presumptionWords nearby axiom
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use axiom in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for axiom
axiom
/ (ˈæksɪəm) /
noun
a generally accepted proposition or principle, sanctioned by experience; maxim
a universally established principle or law that is not a necessary truththe axioms of politics
a self-evident statement
logic maths a statement or formula that is stipulated to be true for the purpose of a chain of reasoning: the foundation of a formal deductive systemCompare assumption (def. 4)
Word Origin for axiom
C15: from Latin axiōma a principle, from Greek, from axioun to consider worthy, from axios worthy
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
Scientific definitions for axiom
axiom
[ ăk′sē-əm ]
A principle that is accepted as true without proof. The statement For every two points P and Q there is a unique line that contains both P and Q is an axiom because no other information is given about points or lines, and therefore it cannot be proven. Also called postulate
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for axiom
axiom
[ (ak-see-uhm) ]
In mathematics, a statement that is unproved but accepted as a basis for other statements, usually because it seems so obvious.
notes for axiom
The term axiomatic is used generally to refer to a statement so obvious that it needs no proof.
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.