conceptualism
Americannoun
noun
-
the philosophical theory that the application of general words to a variety of objects reflects the existence of some mental entity through which the application is mediated and which constitutes the meaning of the term Compare nominalism realism Platonism
-
the philosophical view that there is no reality independent of our conception of it, or (as in the philosophy of Kant) that the intellect is not a merely passive recipient of experience but rather imposes a structure on it
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of conceptualism
First recorded in 1830–40; conceptual + -ism
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.
She saw exciting developments in abstraction, conceptualism, and performance emerging on both East and West Coasts.
From New York Times ● Sep. 13, 2022
In the 1980s, the school was emerging as a center of conceptualism and ventures in mixed media.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
It highlights movements such as Light and Space, Pop art, Minimalism, California conceptualism, and early and midcentury modernism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2021
Like Tate before it, MoMA will no longer bandy around terms such as cubism, post-impressionism, abstract expressionism, or conceptualism in its labels.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 16, 2019
There were three especial doctrines developed in the scholastic philosophy, called respectively nominalism, realism, and conceptualism.
From History of Human Society by Frank W. (Frank Wilson) Blackmar
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.
