casuist
[ kazh-oo-ist ]
/ ˈkæʒ u ɪst /
Save This Word!
noun
an oversubtle or disingenuous reasoner, especially in questions of morality.
a person who studies and resolves moral problems of judgment or conduct arising in specific situations.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Words nearby casuist
casualization, casualty, casualty insurance, casualwear, casuarina, casuist, casuistic, casuistry, casus belli, cat, cata-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for casuist
British Dictionary definitions for casuist
casuist
/ (ˈkæzjʊɪst) /
noun
a person, esp a theologian, who attempts to resolve moral dilemmas by the application of general rules and the careful distinction of special cases
a person who is oversubtle in his or her analysis of fine distinctions; sophist
Derived forms of casuist
casuistic or casuistical, adjectivecasuistically, adverbWord Origin for casuist
C17: from French casuiste, from Spanish casuista, from Latin cāsus case 1
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