spiritualism

[ spir-i-choo-uh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. the belief or doctrine that the spirits of the dead, surviving after the mortal life, can and do communicate with the living, especially through a person (a medium) particularly susceptible to their influence.
2. the practices or phenomena associated with this belief.
3. the belief that all reality is spiritual.
4. Metaphysics. any of various doctrines maintaining that the ultimate reality is spirit or mind.
5. spiritual quality or tendency.
6. insistence on the spiritual side of things, as in philosophy or religion.

spiritualism

/ ˈspɪrɪtjʊəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the belief that the disembodied spirits of the dead, surviving in another world, can communicate with the living in this world, esp through mediums
2. the doctrines and practices associated with this belief
3. philosophy the belief that because reality is to some extent immaterial it is therefore spiritual
4. any doctrine (in philosophy, religion, etc) that prefers the spiritual to the material
5. the condition or quality of being spiritual

Derived Forms

• ˌspirituaˈlistic, adjective
• ˈspiritualist, noun

Other Words From

• spirit·u·al·istic adjective
• spirit·u·al·isti·cal·ly adverb
• anti·spirit·u·al·ism noun
• anti·spirit·u·al·istic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spiritualism¹

First recorded in 1825–35; spiritual + -ism

Example Sentences

That’s why they’re marrying spiritualism with practical steps.

From Ozy

She rejected vaccination and vivisection and moved toward spiritualism.

From Washington Post

He is deeply rooted in a heartfelt and learned cosmopolitan spiritualism.

From The Daily Beast

Nevertheless, the triumph of West Coast spiritualism over East Coast secularism has civilization-wide implications.

From The Daily Beast

All three were anxious," Gray writes, "that the rise of Spiritualism would block the advance of scientific materialism.

From The Daily Beast

The miracles are believed in by many, but Spiritualism lags far behind the Mormon theology, and probably always will do.

From Project Gutenberg

That which goes by the names of clairvoyance and spiritualism is based solely upon an unreasoning credulity.

From Project Gutenberg

After a time clairvoyance was replaced by spiritualism, and I was again challenged to test the virtue of mediums.

From Project Gutenberg

Such a culmination has been attained by the believers in Modern Spiritualism.

From Project Gutenberg

The fact that I do so shows, at all events, that I have looked seriously at spiritualism since.

From Project Gutenberg