pluralism

[ploo r-uh-liz-uh m]

noun

Philosophy.

a theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle.Compare dualism(def 2), monism(def 1a).
a theory that reality consists of two or more independent elements.

Ecclesiastical.

the holding by one person of two or more offices at the same time.
plurality(def 7a).

Sociology. cultural pluralism.

state or quality of being plural.

Nearby words

Origin of pluralism

First recorded in 1810–20; plural + -ism

Related forms

plu·ral·ist, noun, adjectiveplu·ral·is·tic, adjectiveplu·ral·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·plu·ral·is·tic, adjective

un·plu·ral·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pluralist

But a democratic, pluralist Egypt is a safer neighbor in the long term than one held together by barbed wire and policemen.
Why Egypt Is Too Big to Fail|Rep. Jane Harman|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Theocratic democracies balance official religions with democratic institutions and pluralist practices.
How To Build A Theocratic Democracy|Janice Stein|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instead of fostering a pluralist Zionist conversation, they largely promote a limited set of views.
Australia's Disneyfied Israel|Liam Getreu|October 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There was a great deal about the monist and pluralist views of the universe.
The Letters of William James, Vol. II|William James

Further theism enriches and enhances the pluralist's ideal by all the ineffable blessedness that the presence of God must yield.
The Christian Faith Under Modern Searchlights|William Hallock Johnson
I derive a very comfortable income from my various offices, and I am a pluralist.
An Englishman in Paris|Albert D. (Albert Dresden) Vandam
Why does he immediately add that for the pluralist to plead the non-mutation of such abstractions would be an ignoratio elenchi?
Essays in Radical Empiricism|William James
One more extract, partly aimed at Dr. Trapp as a pluralist, must suffice.
The Life of the Rev. George Whitefield, Volume I (of 2)|Luke Tyerman

British Dictionary definitions for pluralist

pluralism

noun

the holding by a single person of more than one ecclesiastical benefice or office

sociol a theory of society as several autonomous but interdependent groups which either share power or continuously compete for power

the existence in a society of groups having distinctive ethnic origin, cultural forms, religions, etc

a theory that views the power of employers as being balanced by the power of trade unions in industrial relations such that the interests of both sides can be catered for

philosophy

the metaphysical doctrine that reality consists of more than two basic types of substanceCompare monism (def. 2), dualism (def. 2)
the metaphysical doctrine that reality consists of independent entities rather than one unchanging wholeCompare monism (def. 2), absolutism (def. 2b)

Derived Formspluralist, noun, adjectivepluralistic, 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 pluralist

pluralism

1818, as a term in church administration, from plural + -ism. Attested from 1882 as a term in philosophy for a theory which recognizes more than one ultimate principle. In political science, attested from 1919 (in Harold J. Laski) in sense "theory which opposes monolithic state power." General sense of "toleration of diversity within a society or state" is from 1933. Related: Pluralist (1620s, in the church sense); pluralistic.

Culture definitions for pluralist

pluralism

A conviction that various religious, ethnic, racial, and political groups should be allowed to thrive in a single society. In metaphysics, pluralism can also mean an alternative to dualism and monism. A pluralist asserts that there are more than two kinds of principles, whereas the dualist maintains there are only two and a monist only one.