meliorism
[ meel-yuh-riz-uh m, mee-lee-uh- ]
/ ˈmil yəˌrɪz əm, ˈmi li ə- /
noun
the doctrine that the world tends to become better or may be made better by human effort.
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Nearby words
melinite, melioidosis, meliorate, melioration, meliorative, meliorism, meliority, melisma, melismatic, melissa, melissy
Origin of meliorism
Related formsmel·io·rist, noun, adjectivemel·io·ris·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for meliorism
British Dictionary definitions for meliorism
meliorism
/ (ˈmiːlɪəˌrɪzəm) /
noun
the notion that the world can be improved by human effort
Derived Formsmeliorist, adjective, nounmelioristic, adjective
Word Origin for meliorism
C19: from Latin melior better
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for meliorism
meliorism
"belief that the world tends to become better," 1868, from Latin melior (see meliorate) + -ism. Related: Meliorist (1835).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper