polytheism

American  

[pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm, pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm] / ˈpɒl i θiˌɪz əm, ˌpɒl iˈθi ɪz əm /

noun

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

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polytheism British  

/ ˈpɒlɪθiːˌɪzəm, ˌpɒlɪˈθiːɪzəm /

noun

1. the worship of or belief in more than one god

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polytheism Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• polytheist noun
• polytheistic adjective
• polytheistical adjective
• polytheistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of polytheism

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

Example Sentences

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

“That feels like it’s really specific to L.A. as a cosmopolitan city. Greek polytheism is all about the ability to absorb other gods, and there is an inherent cultural exchange that’s a part of that.”

From Los Angeles Times

Another wrote that the "mementoes" are a "means of leading people to polytheism", along with a photograph of one of the statues.

From BBC

Veneration of objects or idols, and hints to polytheism, run in conflict with the Wahhabis strain of Islam that is growing in popularity in Java.

From BBC

Both books trace the gradual emergence of monotheism from a background of polytheism.

From New York Times