tabula rasa
Americannoun
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tabulae rasae
plural
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a mind not yet affected by experiences, impressions, etc.
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anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state.
noun
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(esp in the philosophy of Locke) the mind in its uninformed original state
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an opportunity for a fresh start; clean slate
Discover More
John Locke believed that a child's mind was a tabula rasa.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tabula rasa
First recorded in 1525–35, tabula rasa is from Latin tabula rāsa “scraped tablet, clean slate”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If the brain started as a true tabula rasa, with no built-in connections, neurons would first need to locate and connect with one another.
From Science Daily ● May 3, 2026
The conceptual idea around this is that it’s growing out of something, as opposed to tabula rasa, a new building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
Somewhere inside a tabula rasa passed off as an office space, a diligent worker is rewarded with a five-minute "dance experience."
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2025
Her desire for a global tabula rasa outstrips that of even the most fanatical Red Guards, who still dominate her mental landscape.
From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
According to this the soul when created is a tabula rasa, but having certain capacities inherent in it in consequence of the nature of its Creator.
From Dante: His Times and His Work by Arthur John Butler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
