essentialist

American  

[uh-sen-shuh-list] / əˈsɛn ʃəˌlɪst /

noun

1. Philosophy. someone who follows the principles of essentialism, believing that the inward, or essential, nature of most things is invariable, as opposed to the properties that are accidental, phenomenal, illusory, etc..

   The author calls gender essentialists to account for what she sees as their oversimplification of observed gender differences in children.

2. Education. someone who follows the principles of essentialism, a doctrine that certain traditional concepts, ideals, and skills are essential to society and should be taught methodically to all students.

   Essentialists argue that a key function of school is to give young people the basic knowledge necessary for good citizenship.

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adjective

1. following the principles of essentialism: Traditional disciplines such as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the essentialist curriculum.

   Scholars are increasingly warning against reducing ancient religions to monolithic, essentialist entities.

   Traditional disciplines such as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the essentialist curriculum.

Etymology

Origin of essentialist

essential ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Example Sentences

This fluidity is evident in tracks like "Jennifer's Body" and "Gutless," where Love adopts different personas to explore the multiplicity of feminine identity and challenge essentialist notions of womanhood.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2024

In fact, multiple studies have found that when kids have more essentialist beliefs about race, they also hold more stereotypes about other racial groups.

From Scientific American • Aug. 19, 2022

“My understanding is that Z is an essentialist — but it’s not just about biology — it’s like a female spirit or essence,” Bettcher said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2021

“I definitely didn’t want to make something that had an essentialist view of gender,” she says.

From The Verge • Sep. 9, 2021

And though I could never, myself, be a native of any of these worlds, I knew that nothing so essentialist as race stood between us.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates