monotheism

noun

mono·​the·​ism ˈmä-nə-(ˌ)thē-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce monotheism (audio)
: the doctrine or belief that there is but one God
historically related forms of monotheism as Judaism, Christianity, and IslamB. R. Barber
monotheist noun
monotheistically adverb

Examples of monotheism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Christianity became the dominant religion of the western world during the fourth century under the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine, who embraced monotheism, or the belief in one God. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024 Because many people worshipped some variation of a sun god, Aurelian seemed to think Sol Invictus would be the god most likely to pull off monotheism. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023 These include roads, cars, fences, ranchers, cities, computers, cell phones, the rich but also the ignorant poor (most of all, white-trash Trump voters), Nazis, NPR’s Kai Ryssdal, technocrats, Apple, the internet, and monotheism. Christopher Ketcham, Harper's Magazine, 1 Nov. 2023 Ethical monotheism differs from ethical humanism. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 14 June 2021 The Canaanites were an ancient pagan people whom the Bible says inhabited Jerusalem and other parts of the Middle East before the advent of monotheism. Zeena Saifi, CNN, 27 Apr. 2022 To this figure, monotheism added a sense of the homogeneity of societies and groups. Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 6 Jan. 2023 The list is heavy on the monotheism, as if to reassure us that the ancient Greeks were just like us, really — Artemis and Apollo and Athena are basically Yahweh, who is basically Jesus. James Frankie Thomas, Vulture, 27 July 2022 Some have argued that the rise of Islam, Arab monotheism, was contingent on the domestication of the camel (which opened up interior trade networks previously unaccessible). Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2010

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

Word History

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monotheism was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near monotheism

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

monotheism

noun
mono·​the·​ism ˈmän-ə-(ˌ)thē-ˌiz-əm How to pronounce monotheism (audio)
: the belief that there is only one God
monotheist noun
monotheistic adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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