creationism

noun

cre·​a·​tion·​ism krē-ˈā-shə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce creationism (audio)
: a doctrine or theory holding that matter, the various forms of life, and the world were created by God out of nothing and usually in the way described in Genesis
Once again, science and religion collided last week. This time the battleground was the U.S. Supreme Court, where the Justices decreed that a Louisiana law requiring that creationism be taught along with evolution in the public schools was unconstitutional.Alain L. Sanders
creationist noun or adjective

Examples of creationism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One of them is in West Virginia, where the state Senate has approved a bill that would allow teachers to tell students that the Universe is the result of intelligent design, an idea that was developed to avoid prohibitions on teaching creationism. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2023 So systematic processing is crucial for contentious topics like creationism and evolution. Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2012 Whether changing minds involves converting someone from creationism to less wrong ways of thinking, or simply convincing someone that science is interesting, there is power in inspiring people (who, after all, include students, teachers, politicians and voters among their ranks). Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019 The resulting decision, called Kitzmiller v. Dover compiled an extensive record showing that intelligent design was simply a relabeling of creationism, which had already been found to be an unconstitutional imposition of religion. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2023 Why cicadas are a rainbow of science, and how creationism takes all the beauty out of it . Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2013 Refuting creationism is fundamentally different from merely disseminating scientifically accurate information. Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2012 While some archaeologists lament the loss of scientific information, Indian creationism is tolerated out of a sense of guilt over past wrongdoings. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2014 Tennessee passes law allowing creationism in the classroom - Louisiana fights back against creationist legislators - A win for reality in Texas! Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'creationism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

creation + -ism

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of creationism was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near creationism

Cite this Entry

“Creationism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creationism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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