axiomatic
Americanadjective
-
relating to or resembling an axiom; self-evident
-
containing maxims; aphoristic
-
(of a logical system) consisting of a set of axioms from which theorems are derived by transformation rules Compare natural deduction
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of axiomatic
First recorded in 1790–1800; from Greek axiōmatikós, equivalent to axiōmat- (stem of axíōma axiom ) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
An axiom is a self-evident truth. The authors of the Declaration of Independence could have written, “We hold these truths to be axiomatic,” but it wouldn't have the same ring. The root word of axiomatic, axiom, derives from the Greek axioma, meaning "authority," or "that which is thought worthy or fit." We use it to describe statements that have the authority of truth about them, or that seem worthy of the truth, or fit to be described as such. That is, an axiom is a proposition that we don’t generally question because it seems plain enough that it’s true. And axiomatic means evident without proof or argument.
Vocabulary lists containing axiomatic
Brave New World
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On Liberty
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Challenge, List 10
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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.
IIT starts out by formulating five axiomatic properties of any conceivable subjective experience.
From Scientific American • Sep. 8, 2023
It’s axiomatic in hockey that the team that works the hardest often wins, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen from the Kraken this season.
From Seattle Times • May 10, 2023
The reason, as always, seemed axiomatic: Ocean was performing because that’s what performers do.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2023
“By the 1950s, Protestants and Jews took as axiomatic that birth control was essential to nurturing children’s spiritual and psychological development, maternal health, economic security, and the sanctity of family.”
From Slate • Mar. 9, 2023
The students nodded, emphatically agreeing with a statement which upwards of sixty-two thousand repetitions in the dark had made them accept, not merely as true, but as axiomatic, self-evident, utterly indisputable.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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.
