Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

nominalism

American  
[nom-uh-nl-iz-uhm] / ˈnɒm ə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

  1. (in medieval philosophy) the doctrine that general or abstract words do not stand for objectively existing entities and that universals are no more than names assigned to them.


nominalism British  
/ ˈnɒmɪnəˌlɪzəm /

noun

  1. the philosophical theory that the variety of objects to which a single general word, such as dog, applies have nothing in common but the name Compare conceptualism realism

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of nominalism

From the French word nominalisme, dating back to 1830–40. See nominal, -ism

Vocabulary lists containing nominalism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

At the U.N., he rejected a “declarationist nominalism which would assuage our consciences.”

From The New Yorker Sep. 30, 2015

Such is the magnitude of these situations and their toll in innocent lives, that we must avoid every temptation to fall into a declarationist nominalism which would assuage our consciences.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 25, 2015

The work deals with the current difficulties between nominalism and realism, the relation between the individual and the genus or species.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

We have learned to hate all nominalism, all fiction in government, in business and, above all, in personal character.

From Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic by Sidney Lewis Gulick

The excesses and failures of idealist theories of knowledge have always given rise in history to the opposite theory of sensualist nominalism, according to which our ideas are simply transformed sensations.

From Outlines of a Philosophy of Religion based on Psychology and History by Auguste Sabatier

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training