Epicureanism
[ ep-i-kyoo-ree-uh-niz-uh m, -kyoo r-ee- ]
/ ˌɛp ɪ kyʊˈri əˌnɪz əm, -ˈkyʊər i- /
noun
the philosophical system or doctrine of Epicurus, holding that the external world is a series of fortuitous combinations of atoms and that the highest good is pleasure, interpreted as freedom from disturbance or pain.
(lowercase) epicurean indulgence or habits.
RELATED WORDS
Also Ep·i·cur·ism [ep-i-kyoo-riz-uh m, ep-i-kyoo r-iz-uh m] /ˈɛp ɪ kyʊˌrɪz əm, ˌɛp ɪˈkyʊər ɪz əm/.
Origin of Epicureanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for epicureanism
epicureanism
1751, with reference to a philosophy; 1847 in a general sense, from epicurean + -ism. Earlier was epicurism (1570s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Epicureanism
[ (ep-i-kyoo-ree-uh-niz-uhm, ep-i-kyoor-ee-uh-niz-uhm) ]
A form of hedonism defended by several philosophers of ancient Greece. For the Epicureans, the proper goal of action was pleasure — a long-term pleasure, marked by serenity and temperance.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.