externalism

[ ik-stur-nl-iz-uhm ]

/ ɪkˈstɜr nlˌɪz əm /

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noun

attention to externals, especially excessive attention to externals, as in religion.

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Origin of externalism

First recorded in 1855–60; external + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM externalism

ex·ter·nal·ist, noun

Words nearby externalism

external galaxy, external genitalia, external hemorrhoids, external iliac vein, external intercostal muscle, externalism, externality, externalization, externalize, externalizer, external jugular vein

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use externalism in a sentence

The fallacy of the Socialist program is not in its radicalism, but in its externalism.
The Profits of Religion, Fifth Edition|Upton Sinclair
Some of these are good enough, but they nearly all culminate in an ambitious externalism.
A Breeze from the Woods, 2nd Ed.|William Chauncey Bartlett
They tore off the accumulated husks of externalism, but kept intact the real kernel of religion.
Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic|Sidney L. Gulick
"O foolish Galatians," he seems still to be saying, What is it that charms you so much in all this ritual and externalism?
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Galatians|G. G. Findlay

He opposes the law of Pharisaic externalism in the interests of the law of Christian love.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Galatians|G. G. Findlay

British Dictionary definitions for externalism

externalism

/ (ɪkˈstɜːnəˌlɪzəm) /

noun

exaggerated emphasis on outward form, esp in religious worship

a philosophical doctrine holding that only objects that can be perceived by the senses are real; phenomenalism

Derived forms of externalism

externalist, noun

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