occultism

[uh-kuhl-tiz-uh m]

See more synonyms for occultism on Thesaurus.com

noun

belief in the existence of secret, mysterious, or supernatural agencies.
the study or practice of occult arts.

Origin of occultism

First recorded in 1880–85; occult + -ism

Related formsoc·cult·ist, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for occultism

fascination, illusion, wizardry, occult, voodoo, necromancy, foreboding, augury, prediction, incantation, divination, astrology, trickery, thaumaturgy, witchcraft, alchemy, allurement, presage, soothsaying, power

Examples from the Web for occultism

Historical Examples of occultism

I am no believer in occultism, but there are premonitions which one cannot deny.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930
Various
But occultism has more than this to teach us on the subject.
Clairvoyance
Charles Webster Leadbeater
How can one tell but that all occultism is merely unknown science?
The White Invaders
Raymond King Cummings
From the standpoint of occultism there is no dead force and no dead matter.
Esoteric Christianity, or The Lesser Mysteries
Annie Besant
Including a study of the chief points of psychotherapeutics and occultism.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology
Robert E. Park

British Dictionary definitions for occultism

occultism

noun

belief in and the study and practice of magic, astrology, etc

Derived Formsoccultist, noun, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for occultism

1870, from occult + -ism. Related: Occultist.