Hobbesian

American  

[hob-zee-uhn] / ˈhɒb zi ən /

noun

1. a person who believes in or advocates the principles of Thomas Hobbes.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or recalling the principles of Thomas Hobbes.

Etymology

Origin of Hobbesian

First recorded in 1770–80; Hobbes + -ian

Example Sentences

In particular, he sharpens our image of the Hobbesian Thucydides, who founded the realist theory of international relations.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

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

Hobbesian nightmare ensued, the 145 remaining men starving, freezing, unhoused and barely clothed.

From Washington Post

Despite its seemingly Hobbesian aspect, Wick World does have rules, and by the second movie, the character is declared “excommunicado,” a word that underscores the High Table’s profile as a shadowy, quasi-religious elite manifestation of absolute power.

From New York Times