tabula rasa
noun
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Philosophers have been arguing that babies are born with minds that are essentially blank slates since the days of Aristotle. (Later, some psychologists took up the case as well.) English speakers have called that initial state of mental blankness tabula rasa (a term taken from a Latin phrase that translates as "smooth or erased tablet") since the 16th century, but it wasn't until British philosopher John Locke championed the concept in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding in 1690 that the term gained widespread popularity in our language. In later years, a figurative sense of the term emerged, referring to something that exists in its original state and that has yet to be altered by outside forces.
Examples of tabula rasa in a Sentence
Minty Mellon, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
Despite this notion’s connection with settlements and colonialism, its landscape also suggests a tabula rasa, bounding with potential to harness, beauty to reap, and the capability to inspire artistic creativity and love.
—David Katz, IndieWire, 18 May 2025
Nobody in this village can quite figure out why the alluring tabula rasa, Jérémie, has a hold on everybody.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
The previous owners had basically stripped the space down to the studs, so Bloom had tabula rasa to reimagine the family home.
—Nora Taylor, Architectural Digest, 29 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Tabula rasa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tabula%20rasa. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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