polytheism
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of polytheism
Explanation
Polytheism is belief in many gods — it's kind of the opposite of monotheism, which is belief in one god. If you believe in polytheism, you have a bunch of gods to thank or blame. Though the most widely known religions today — Christianity, Judaism, and Islam — are all examples of monotheism, there have been plenty of religions that preach polytheism. Followers of those religions believe in a pantheon or group of gods, like the ancient Greeks who worshipped Zeus, Athena and the gang. Usually in polytheist religions certain gods are associated with specific things, like war or love.
Vocabulary lists containing polytheism
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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Ancient Greece - Introductory
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Power Suffix: -ism
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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 opera ends with Akhnaten’s son, presumably Tutankhamun, restoring polytheism, and then, once the staging jumps millennia into the future, it’s rediscovered by modern-day tourists.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
This new religious culture resulted in the neglect of traditional Roman polytheism, and the empire’s eastward shift came at the expense of the western empire.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
Moses' motive, Freud hypothesized, was to preserve a sect of the ancient Egyptian religion which rejected polytheism and only worshipped the sun god, Aten.
From Salon • Oct. 29, 2022
Before Constantine’s conversion, Christianity expanded through missionary work, which succeeded in founding congregations across the Empire but did not seriously disrupt polytheism or the Empire’s religious diversity.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020
An organised polytheism prevailed, and in the temples of Centeotl and Tlazolteotl, Herodotus or Pausanias would have readily recognised the Demeter and the Aphrodite of Mexico.
From Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2) by Lang, Andrew
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.
