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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to solipsism

egoism, self-containment, subjectivity, narcissism, self-absorption, egocentricity, self-reliance, singularity, uniqueness, autonomy

How to use solipsism in a sentence

  • To use a philosophical term, the paranoiac is the Simon-pure "solipsist."

    The Behavior of Crowds|Everett Dean Martin

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.

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.
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