universalism

[ yoo-nuh-vur-suh-liz-uhm ]

/ ˌyu nəˈvɜr səˌlɪz əm /

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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).

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Origin of universalism

First recorded in 1795–1805; universal + -ism

Words nearby universalism

universal class, universal donor, universal gas constant, universal gas law, universal grammar, universalism, universalist, universality, universalizability, universalize, universal joint

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use universalism in a sentence

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|DAILY BEAST
The striking, inspiring thing about the revolutions in the Middle East is their genuine universalism.
Putting America on Democracy's Side|Peter Beinart|May 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Apparently both universalism and individualism become more prominent with the course of time.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
In the vicinity of Boston there was no movement in favor of Universalism.
Biography of Rev. Hosea Ballou|Maturin M. Ballou

He was the pioneer, the leader, the propagator, of Universalism.
Biography of Rev. Hosea Ballou|Maturin M. Ballou
In Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft he showed that beyond the "local nationalism" were signs of a "supernational universalism."
Musicians of To-Day|Romain Rolland
The Christian view makes uniquely clear the universalism of the moral law.
Theoretical Ethics|Milton Valentine

British Dictionary definitions for universalism (1 of 2)

universalism

/ (ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəˌlɪzəm) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for universalism (2 of 2)

Universalism

/ (ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəˌlɪzəm) /

noun

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

Derived forms of Universalism

Universalist, 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