messianism

[mes-ee-uh-niz-uhm, muh-sahy-uh-]

noun

1. (often initial capital letter),  the belief in the coming of the Messiah, or a movement based on this belief.

2. the belief in a leader, cause, or ideology as a savior or deliverer.

Other Word Forms

• messianist noun
• Messianist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of messianism¹

1875–80; < Late Latin Messīān-, stem of Messīās Messiah + -ism

Example Sentences

Among religious Zionists in Israel, the victory in 1967 had supercharged a wave of messianism - the belief that a divine being was coming who would redeem the Jewish people.

Read more on BBC

There is also the classic Cronenberg archetype: the technology guru who hard-sells scientific progress as humankind’s salvation but is in fact consumed by his own greedy messianism.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Anybody writing 12,000 words on psychedelia, messianism, loss of faith, writing a novel and dreaming of a Judaism that reflects our values is of interest to Jewish Currents,” said Mr. Plitman, who stepped down as publisher this year.

Read more on New York Times

In interviews, he compared himself to Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, his self-confidence beginning to veer closer to a form of messianism that has evolved to encompass ventures such as a private school in Los Angeles and designs for massive dome dwellings at his compound in Wyoming.

Read more on Washington Post

“Even more than the psychology of the leader, it is the psychology of the led that demands to be understood,” wrote Gershom Scholem, the great historian of Jewish messianism.

Read more on New York Times