relativism

American  

[rel-uh-tuh-viz-uhm] / ˈrɛl ə təˌvɪz əm /

noun

Philosophy.

1. any theory holding that criteria of judgment are relative, varying with individuals and their environments.

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relativism British  

/ ˈrɛlətɪˌvɪzəm /

noun

1. any theory holding that truth or moral or aesthetic value, etc, is not universal or absolute but may differ between individuals or cultures See also historicism

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relativism Cultural  

1. The doctrine that no ideas or beliefs are universally true but that all are, instead, “relative” — that is, their validity depends on the circumstances in which they are applied.

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Other Word Forms

• relativist noun

Etymology

Origin of relativism

First recorded in 1860–65; relative + -ism

Explanation

Relativism is the belief that there's no absolute truth, only the truths that a particular individual or culture happen to believe. If you believe in relativism, then you think different people can have different views about what's moral and immoral. Understandably, relativism makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Is it morally okay for some cultures to have slaves, for example? Cultural relativists might argue yes. Einstein, in particular, caused a lot of problems with his Theory of Relativity that stated that even time and space were relative concepts depending on where an observer happened to be. Of course, you might argue that relativism itself is a belief only a certain individual or culture happens to believe in. Tough stuff, philosophy.

Example Sentences

Cultural relativism is the view that no culture is superior or inferior to another as cultural practices of all groups exist within their own cultural context.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Moral relativism and the ratchet effect will ensure that there is always some precedent close enough to persuade people to shrug even when confronted with some evidence of genuine turpitude on their own side.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

But it doesn’t take an experienced Wikipedia editor to detect this quick slip from moral clarity to moral relativism.

From Slate • Jan. 19, 2024

But if we both take responsibility for the excesses of the extremes within our tribe and stay away from moral relativism, whataboutisms, and instead focus on our own accountability, there is hope.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2023

Here their relativism breaks down and they offer us their own version of Whig history.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton