monotheism

American  

[mon-uh-thee-iz-uhm] / ˈmɒn ə θiˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the doctrine or belief that there is only one God.

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monotheism British  

/ ˈmɒnəʊθɪˌɪzəm /

noun

1. the belief or doctrine that there is only one God

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monotheism Cultural  

1. A belief in one god. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all monotheistic religions. (Compare polytheism.)

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Other Word Forms

• monotheist
  noun
• monotheistic
  adjective
• monotheistical
  adjective
• monotheistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of monotheism

First recorded in 1650–60; mono- + (poly)theism

Explanation

Monotheism is the belief in a single all-powerful god, as opposed to religions that believe in multiple gods. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are widely practiced forms of monotheism. Monotheism comes from the combination of the Greek prefixes monos-, “alone” or “single,” and theo-, “god.” There are many words that come from the Greek base theo-: theology, polytheist, and atheism, to name a few. All of these theo- words have to do with god, gods, or the study of religion. Monotheism is any religion that believes in one god. Buddhism, for instance, isn’t an example of monotheism because Buddha is not considered a god who created the universe.

Example Sentences

Stasevska was born in 1984, the same year that Glass’ hypnotic, ritualistic opera, about an Egyptian pharaoh who dared to push monotheism onto his polytheistic culture, debuted in Stuttgart, Germany.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure covered in a black, gold-embroidered cloth, but view it as their most sacred place and a powerful symbol of unity and monotheism.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 25, 2023

Muslims believe that as generations passed, however, the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs, forgot their monotheism and began to worship idols, entering a period of ignorance known as the jahiliyyah.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Lohengrin comes, as well, from a more divine realm to save Elsa from persecution amid conflict and mercurial alliances — between paganism and monotheism, between the Holy Roman Empire and opposing forces.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2023

On one side, the constant introduction of new gods, local or foreign; on the other, a groping after a monotheism never absolutely reached.

From Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2) by Lang, Andrew