pacifism
Americannoun
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opposition to war or violence of any kind.
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refusal to engage in military activity because of one's principles or beliefs.
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the principle or policy that all differences among nations should be adjusted without recourse to war.
noun
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the belief that violence of any kind is unjustifiable and that one should not participate in war
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the belief that international disputes can be settled by arbitration rather than war
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pacifism
Explanation
Pacifism is the view that violence is always wrong. The day a playground bully announces his new belief in pacifism is a happy one for his former victims. The noun pacifism comes from the Latin word pacificus, "peaceful, or peace-making." People who are devoted to pacifism avoid any kind of violence in their own lives, which usually includes refusing to support wars or serve in the military. Famous practitioners of pacifism include Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jesus.
Vocabulary lists containing pacifism
Albert Einstein
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Seedfolks
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This Week In Words: August 1–6, 2020
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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.
The announcement on Tuesday marks a milestone in Tokyo's shift away from the pacifism that has characterised its post-war defence policy.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
In addition, pacifism is always an individual option, not a communal response.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
They’ve objected to books which expose readers to evolution, pacifism, magic, women achieving things outside of the home and “false views of death.”
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2025
But writer-director Todd Komarnicki’s aggressively lionizing, faith-driven movie about Bonhoeffer seems uninterested in any complexity about pacifism and violence coexisting in one man.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024
Benjamin Britten enjoyed an extended holiday in America, while Michael Tippett, a conscientious objector, produced an eloquent and moving wartime plea for unfashionable pacifism in his oratorio A Child of Our Time.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
