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

The money and support they received allowed them to become powerful confederations in comparison to other Arab tribes, and their conversion to Christianity allowed the further spread of monotheism in the region.

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

We briefly referred to the rise of monotheism.

From Creed And Deed A Series of Discourses by Adler, Felix