eclecticism
Americannoun
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the use or advocacy of an eclectic method.
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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.
noun
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an eclectic system or method
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the use or advocacy of such a system
Etymology
Origin of eclecticism
Vocabulary lists containing eclecticism
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.
Sensibility and natural eclecticism, rather than unchecked ambition, is what propels Joseph; he has an innate knack for assembling bands and ensembles, good taste and good timing.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
What set “Mothership Connection” apart was its humor, imagination and eclecticism.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
The secret, of course, was to lean into the incredible eclecticism of her career, all while avoiding the sleepy, saccharine pitfalls of a “Silent Night” -heavy holiday release.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2023
"As a novice, I liked the idea of eclecticism and variety, and having freedom in the overall structure," he says.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2023
Historical materialism goes beyond the antithetical views of the sociologists and the individualists, and at the same time it eliminates the eclecticism of the empirical narrators.
From Essays on the Materialistic Conception of History by Labriola, Antonio
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.
