polytheism

[pol-ee-thee-iz-uh m, pol-ee-thee-iz-uh m]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR polytheism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods.

Origin of polytheism

1605–15; poly- + theism; compare French polythéisme

Related formspol·y·the·ist, nounpol·y·the·is·tic, pol·y·the·is·ti·cal, adjective

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

Related Words for polytheism

theism, religion, theology

Examples from the Web for polytheism

Contemporary Examples of polytheism

To many outside Christianity, this looks a bit like polytheism!
Does Pope Francis Believe Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?
Jay Parini
December 7, 2014

Historical Examples of polytheism

The latter was closely bound up with polytheism and hero-worship.
The Legacy of Greece
Various
Polytheism was dominant while their monotheism was as yet a persecuted belief.
The Necessity of Atheism
Dr. D.M. Brooks
This surely is not what is commonly understood by Polytheism.
Chips From A German Workshop - Volume I
Friedrich Max Mller
Another outstanding feature of popular Hinduism is its Polytheism.
India, Its Life and Thought
John P. Jones
They expose with superfluous with and eloquence the extravagance of Polytheism.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Edward Gibbon

British Dictionary definitions for polytheism

polytheism

noun

the worship of or belief in more than one god

Derived Formspolytheist, nounpolytheistic, adjectivepolytheistically, adverb

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 polytheism

1610s, from French polythéisme (16c.), formed from Greek polytheia "polytheism," polytheos "of many gods," from polys "many" (see poly-) + theos "god" (see Thea).

polytheism in Culture

polytheism

The belief in more than one god. The ancient Greeks, for example, were polytheists; their gods included Apollo, Athena, Dionysus, and Zeus. (Compare monotheism.)