escapism

[ ih-skey-piz-uhm ]

noun

1. the avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc.

escapism

/ ɪˈskeɪpɪzəm /

noun

1. an inclination to or habit of retreating from unpleasant or unacceptable reality, as through diversion or fantasy

Derived Forms

• esˈcapist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• es·cap·ist adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of escapism¹

First recorded in 1930–35; escape + -ism

Example Sentences

We're no strangers to video games as escapism during the pandemic, especially the games that bring friends together online with simple-yet-deep gameplay.

From Ars Technica

Bridgerton initially drew mostly rave reviews from critics who praised the show’s “feminist undertones,” marathon-ability, and “frothy, silly escapism.”

From Vox

Everybody needs some escapism right now, and that’s the business we’re in.

From Washington Post

The designs range from classic problem solving and collaborative tasks — like space-survival mission Project Artemis — to pure fun escapism.

From Digiday

Outside editors leaned into escapism this month, spending our weekends consuming culture that transported us from faraway planets to the beaches of Oahu.

From Outside Online

If nothing else, that clarity makes sports a healthy form of escapism.

From The Daily Beast

Not only is it the finest form of escapism yet invented by humans—even including laser tag, opiates and Temptation Island!

From The Daily Beast

His one previous musical, the 1996 film Everyone Says I Love You, is an ode to the pleasures of old-Hollywood escapism.

From The Daily Beast

Maybe, somewhere in our current favorite object of escapism, there is an obscure hunger to confront these hard facts.

From The Daily Beast

You can enjoy the Taken franchise as trashy escapism or you can see it as sexually conservative propaganda.

From The Daily Beast

If "escapism" be a need of man, cramped in his narrow personality, can any escape compare with the majesty of omnipresence?

From Project Gutenberg

They are escapism embodied, a dreamland, a scape of fantasy, the vale of telenovellas.

From Project Gutenberg

"They're still a far cry from reality, or even the usual escapism," said the banker.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• evasion
• prevention
• restraint