utilitarianism

[ yoo-til-i-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm ]
See synonyms for utilitarianism on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. 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.

Origin of utilitarianism

1
First recorded in 1820–30; utilitarian + -ism

Other words from utilitarianism

  • an·ti·u·til·i·tar·i·an·ism, noun

Words Nearby utilitarianism

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

How to use utilitarianism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for utilitarianism

utilitarianism

/ (juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛərɪəˌnɪzəm) /


nounethics
  1. 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

  2. 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.