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-combustion engine, external conflict, external degree, external ear, external galaxy, externalism, externality, externalization, externalize, externalizer, external relation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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