utilitarianism
[ yoo-til-i-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm ]
/ yuˌtɪl ɪˈtɛər i əˌnɪz əm /
Save This Word!
noun
the ethical doctrine that virtue is based on utility, and that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Origin of utilitarianism
First recorded in 1820–30; utilitarian + -ism
OTHER WORDS FROM utilitarianism
an·ti·u·til·i·tar·i·an·ism, nounWords nearby utilitarianism
utile, utile dulci, Utilicare, utilidor, utilitarian, utilitarianism, utility, utility function, utility man, utility player, utility pole
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for utilitarianism
British Dictionary definitions for utilitarianism
utilitarianism
/ (juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛərɪəˌnɪzəm) /
noun ethics
the doctrine that the morally correct course of action consists in the greatest good for the greatest number, that is, in maximizing the total benefit resulting, without regard to the distribution of benefits and burdens
the theory that the criterion of virtue is utility
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
Cultural definitions for utilitarianism
utilitarianism
A system of ethics according to which the rightness or wrongness of an action should be judged by its consequences. The goal of utilitarian ethics is to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Jeremy Bentham, an English philosopher, was the founder of utilitarianism; John Stuart Mill was its best-known defender.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.