solipsism

[ sol-ip-siz-uhm ]

/ ˈsɒl ɪpˌsɪz əm /

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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.

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Origin of solipsism

1880–85; sol(i)-¹ + Latin ips(e) self + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM solipsism

sol·ip·sis·mal, adjectivesol·ip·sist, noun, adjectivesol·ip·sis·tic

[sol-ip-sis-tik], /ˌsɒl ɪpˈsɪs tɪk/, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH solipsism

solecism, solipsism

Words nearby solipsism

Solimões, soling, Solingen, solion, soliped, solipsism, solipsistic, solitaire, solitary, solitary bee, solitary bone cyst

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use solipsism in a sentence

I recognize the solipsism and selfishness in this, but also the act of self-preservation that it represents.
How I Escaped My Troubles Through Science - Issue 104: Harmony|Subodh Patil|August 25, 2021|Nautilus
For one, the personal nature of some of the songs should not be taken as a retreat from the body politic into solipsism.
Sleaford Mods gets introspective, but don’t think they’ve gone soft|Zachary Lipez|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
They are based on the solipsism of influential people who are scandalized only by injustices that they experience personally.
Meghan McCain learned about the need for maternity leave the hard way. Nobody should have to.|Monica Hesse|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
At the very same time, he has to paint a picture of the near-apocalyptic consequences of right-wing solipsism.
Why Obama’s Campaign Film Won’t Reach Angry Voters|Lee Siegel|March 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST

But in the age of the iPod, where solipsism has been made sophisticated, they are more right than anyone ever imagined.
This Week's Must-Read Journalism|The Daily Beast|April 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Of course, when an entire throng is trying to rise above itself, an epidemic of free-form vulgarity and solipsism ensues.
Punking the White House|Tunku Varadarajan|November 27, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The Democrats had better start learning what Ayn Rand knew, despite her foolish solipsism.
A Populist Frankenstein|Lee Siegel|November 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Thus idealists are wedded to solipsism irrevocably; and it is a happy marriage, only the name of the lady has to be changed.
Winds Of Doctrine|George Santayana
I realize now that I may have been falling into the trap of solipsism, “who watches the quad,” et cetera, type of thing.
On Handling the Data|M. I. Mayfield
Why not admit solipsism and be true to the transcendental method?
Character and Opinion in the United States|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
This theory is also called Subjective Idealism or Solipsism.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
The philosophic system becomes a solipsism, a pure lyric expression of the appetites of human nature.
Creative Intelligence|John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. Kallen

British Dictionary definitions 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

Derived forms of solipsism

solipsist, noun, adjectivesolipsistic, adjective

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

Cultural definitions for solipsism

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.

solipsism

Origin of solipsism

OTHER WORDS FROM solipsism

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH solipsism

Words nearby solipsism

Words related to solipsism

How to use solipsism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for solipsism

Derived forms of solipsism

Word Origin for solipsism

Cultural definitions for solipsism