New Thought

American  

noun

1. a system of doctrine and practice originating in the 19th century and stressing the power of thought to control physical and mental events.

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New Thought British  

noun

1. a movement interested in spiritual healing and the power of constructive thinking

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Other Word Forms

• New Thoughter noun
• New Thoughtist noun

Etymology

Origin of New Thought

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

By the early twentieth century, New Thought had shifted its focus from health and social betterment to the attainment of wealth.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 28, 2019

Williamson’s New Thought approach is often confused with New Age spirituality, but though the two movements share some qualities and roots, they differ in meaningful ways.

From Slate • Aug. 7, 2019

People like Cyrus Teed and Father Divine were only the most zealous exponents of America’s unofficial national faith: a spiritual smorgasbord of positive thinking, seasoned by the eclectic 19th-century movement known as New Thought.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2019

She was often referred to as the "first lady of the New Thought Christian community."

From Chicago Tribune • Dec. 24, 2014

The "New Thought" people, struggling with the meaning of spirit, have arrived at the conclusion that there is just "One universal substance called spirit."

From What and Where is God? A Human Answer to the Deep Religious Cry of the Modern Soul by Swain, Richard la Rue