tabula rasa
Americannoun
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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
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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.
This idea reflects the concept of tabula rasa, or the "blank slate."
From Science Daily ● May 3, 2026
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
In part, it is how pioneering South Bronx resident groups like Banana Kelly spared their neighborhood from tabula rasa schemes by outside politicians and planners when the neighborhood was burning.
From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2023
The top is a tabula rasa of post-pandemic young adulthood, ready to absorb and reflect the 2023 equivalent of those aforementioned references: It looks like TikTok, tastes like espresso martinis and sounds like Dua Lipa.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2023
Good heavens! what a tabula rasa of the map of the world!
From John Bull, Junior or French as She is Traduced by O'Rell, Max
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.
