Hobbesian
Americannoun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of Hobbesian
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For one thing, in our newly Hobbesian international environment, not keeping pace in the race for wealth and technology means falling prey to those who do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
In Hobbesian terms, life in a Fincher film tends to be solitary and poor, nasty and brutish, if not necessarily short.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
This Hobbesian pronouncement arrives deep into Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” the latest work from a filmmaker with a career-long interest in cruelty and beasts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
It’s like this Hobbesian state of nature: How are we going to deal with this situation?
From Washington Post ● May 16, 2022
All of them adopted a Hobbesian view of human nature.
From A Letter to Dion by Jacob Viner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
