solipsism
[ sol-ip-siz-uh m ]
/ ˈsɒl ɪpˌsɪz əm /
noun
Philosophy. the theory that only the self exists, or can be proved to exist.
extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption.
RELATED WORDS
egoism, subjectivity, narcissism, self-absorption, egocentricity, self-reliance, ipseity, singularity, uniqueness, autonomy
Nearby words
- solimões,
- soling,
- solingen,
- solion,
- soliped,
- solipsistic,
- solitaire,
- solitary,
- solitary bee,
- solitary bone cyst
Origin of solipsism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for solipsism
solipsism
/ (ˈsɒlɪpˌsɪzəm) /
noun
philosophy the extreme form of scepticism which denies the possibility of any knowledge other than of one's own existence
Word Origin for solipsism
C19: from Latin sōlus alone + ipse self
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
solipsism
1871, coined from Latin solus "alone" (see sole (adj.)) + ipse "self." The view or theory that self is the only object of real knowledge or the only thing that is real. "The identification of one's self with the Absolute is not generally intended, but the denial of there being really anybody else" [Century Dictionary].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
solipsism
[ (sol-uhp-siz-uhm, soh-luhp-siz-uhm) ]
The belief that all reality is just one's own imagining of reality, and that one's self is the only thing that exists.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.