pacifism

[ pas-uh-fiz-uhm ]
See synonyms for pacifism on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. opposition to war or violence of any kind.

  2. refusal to engage in military activity because of one's principles or beliefs.

  1. the principle or policy that all differences among nations should be adjusted without recourse to war.

Origin of pacifism

1
1905–10; <pacifisme.See pacific, -ism
  • Also pa·cif·i·cism [puh-sif-uh-siz-uhm]. /pəˈsɪf əˌsɪz əm/.

Other words from pacifism

  • an·ti·pac·i·fism, noun
  • pro·pac·i·fism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for pacifism

pacifism

/ (ˈpæsɪˌfɪzəm) /


noun
  1. the belief that violence of any kind is unjustifiable and that one should not participate in war

  2. the belief that international disputes can be settled by arbitration rather than war

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

Cultural definitions for pacifism

pacifism

The view that war is morally unacceptable and never justified (see conscientious objector). The term is sometimes applied to the belief that international disputes should be settled peacefully.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.