eclecticism

[ ih-klek-tuh-siz-uhm ]

/ ɪˈklɛk təˌsɪz əm /

Save This Word!

noun

the use or advocacy of an eclectic method.

a tendency in architecture and the decorative arts to mix various historical styles with modern elements with the aim of combining the virtues of many styles or increasing allusive content.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of eclecticism

First recorded in 1825–35; eclectic + -ism

Words nearby eclecticism

éclaircissement, eclampsia, eclamptogenic, éclat, eclectic, eclecticism, eclipse, eclipse period, eclipse plumage, eclipsing binary, eclipsing variable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use eclecticism in a sentence

Their eclecticism is more far-reaching and complicated than ’90s or 2000s young people, even more omnivorous, so it’s harder for corporate executives to market a one-size-fits-all youth culture to, or for so-called cool hunters to narc on them.
The great American cool|Safy-Hallan Farah|July 14, 2021|Vox
Our reviewer Michael Caines asks if the eclecticism adds up to an adventure.
The Best of Brit Lit|Peter Stothard|October 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Many hundred years previously Galen had originated a method, which deserves, perhaps, the title of pure eclecticism.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
The attempt was made, in sculpture and in painting, to combine results already won, generally in a shallow eclecticism.
History of Ancient Art|Franz von Reber

Meanwhile Miriam Finch with her subtle eclecticism continued her education of Eugene.
The "Genius"|Theodore Dreiser
But with the Christian philosophers it was not merely the negative influence of scepticism which drove them to Eclecticism.
The Basis of Early Christian Theism|Lawrence Thomas Cole
They have failed, like all the juste-milieux of the world, and are laughed at for their eclecticism.
What is Property?|P. J. Proudhon

British Dictionary definitions for eclecticism

eclecticism

/ (ɪˈklɛktɪˌsɪzəm, ɛˈklɛk-) /

noun

an eclectic system or method

the use or advocacy of such a system

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