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Hobbesian

American  
[hob-zee-uhn] / ˈhɒb zi ən /

noun

  1. a person who believes in or advocates the principles of Thomas Hobbes.


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or recalling the principles of Thomas Hobbes.

Etymology

Origin of Hobbesian

First recorded in 1770–80; Hobbes + -ian


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.

See Examples For:

For one thing, in our newly Hobbesian international environment, not keeping pace in the race for wealth and technology means falling prey to those who do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

In Hobbesian terms, life in a Fincher film tends to be solitary and poor, nasty and brutish, if not necessarily short.

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2023

This Hobbesian pronouncement arrives deep into Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” the latest work from a filmmaker with a career-long interest in cruelty and beasts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2023

The Davids demolish the Hobbesian narrative by pointing to complex, agricultural societies—in Asia, the Middle East and the Americas—that governed themselves in nonhierarchical ways.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 28, 2022

Life was a continual free fight, and beyond the limited and temporary relations of the family, the Hobbesian war of each against all was the normal state of existence.

From Evolution and Ethics by Thomas Henry Huxley

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