universalism

[yoo-nuh-vur-suh-liz-uh m]

noun

a universal range of knowledge, interests, or activities.

(initial capital letter) the doctrine that emphasizes the universal fatherhood of God and the final salvation of all souls.Compare apocatastasis(def 2).

Origin of universalism

First recorded in 1795–1805; universal + -ism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for universalism

Contemporary Examples of universalism

This concept of “universalism” makes it hard for the country to acknowledge its racial and religious minorities even today.
Barack Obama’s Forgotten Founding Father in Revolutionary France
Tom Reiss
October 14, 2012

Historical Examples of universalism

From the twelfth century, the tendency of Japanese Buddhism is in the direction of universalism and democracy.
The Religions of Japan
William Elliot Griffis
Ward Glazier, at that time, was an adherent of Universalism, while his wife held evangelical views.
Sword and Pen
John Algernon Owens
Unitarianism, Swedenborgianism, and Universalism mingled in happy fraternity.
History of Rationalism Embracing a Survey of the Present State of Protestant Theology
John F. Hurst
What has been so far said would not be true of Unitarianism and Universalism in the last century.
Modern Religious Cults and Movements
Gaius Glenn Atkins
Universalism proclaims the mercy of God reaching "from everlasting to everlasting."
The Palm Tree Blessing
W. E. Shepard

British Dictionary definitions for universalism

universalism

noun

a universal feature or characteristic

another word for universality

social welfare the principle that welfare services should be available to all by right, according to need, and not restricted by individual ability to pay, but funded by general contributions through taxes, rates, or national insurance payments

Universalism

noun

a system of religious beliefs maintaining that all men are predestined for salvation

Derived FormsUniversalist, noun, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for universalism

1805, from universal + -ism.