perfectionism

[ per-fek-shuh-niz-uhm ]

/ pərˈfɛk ʃəˌnɪz əm /

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Definition of perfectionism

noun

any of various doctrines holding that religious, moral, social, or political perfection is attainable.

a personal standard, attitude, or philosophy that demands perfection and rejects anything less.

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Origin of perfectionism

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; perfection + -ism

Words nearby perfectionism

perfect gas, perfectibility of man, perfectible, perfecting press, perfection, perfectionism, perfectionist, perfective, perfectivize, perfectly, perfect number

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use perfectionism in a sentence

For medical professionals, there’s a culture of perfectionism that makes asking for help a sign of weakness.
How COVID-19 Opened the Door to a New Era in Psychedelic Medicine|Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider|October 13, 2021|Time
Just like that, I started the steady slide into a vortex of self-denial, compulsiveness, and perfectionism while withering into a wisp of my former self, both physically and emotionally.
How Nature Helped Me Recover from an Eating Disorder|Kate Siber|March 25, 2021|Outside Online
There are other factors ready to sabotage good intentions, too, such as perfectionism and a dissonance between words and actions, Pychyl said.
My nest is empty, but the stuff remains. Why is decluttering so emotionally fraught?|Bonnie Miller Rubin|March 4, 2021|Washington Post
Studies find that self-criticism and perfectionism provide strong fuel for depression.
How to keep your sadness from turning into depression|Jelena Kecmanovic|November 29, 2020|Washington Post

The root of our perfectionism—the chicken or the egg—is hardly the point.
Face It—We Rubes Will Never Live Like Gwyneth and Jennifer Aniston|Rachel Bertsche|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Recent research has shown perfectionism to be an issue of genetics.
Face It—We Rubes Will Never Live Like Gwyneth and Jennifer Aniston|Rachel Bertsche|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was indeed “caught in the trap of his own perfectionism.”
Do Michelin Stars Still Matter?|Brandon Presser|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perfectionism becomes a sort of impossible perfectionism-plus.
Are Female Long-Distance Runners More Prone To Suicidal Depression?|Emily de la Bruyere|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His friends warned that his “perfectionism” (his own word) would make him wacky.
A Plot Against Living: J.F. Powers’s ‘Suitable Accommodations’|D. G. Myers|August 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It passes over, in the insane pride of human perfectionism, the great fact that man is also a naturally depraved creature.
A Defence of Virginia|Robert L. Dabney
Their principles are perfectionism, communism and free love.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, October, 1877, Vol. XX. No. 118|Various
Perfectionism, the doctrine that moral perfection is by divine grace attainable in the present life.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia|Edited by Rev. James Wood
Perfectionism, no less than isolationism or imperialism or power politics, may obstruct the paths to international peace.
State of the Union Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin D. Roosevelt
This is the application of perfectionism to politics, which was originally a religious notion.
Abolition a Sedition|Geo. W. Donohue

British Dictionary definitions for perfectionism

perfectionism

/ (pəˈfɛkʃəˌnɪzəm) /

noun

philosophy the doctrine that man can attain perfection in this life

the demand for the highest standard of excellence

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

perfectionism

Definition of perfectionism

Origin of perfectionism

Words nearby perfectionism

Words related to perfectionism

How to use perfectionism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for perfectionism