absolutism

noun

ab·​so·​lut·​ism ˈab-sə-ˌlü-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce absolutism (audio)
1
a
: a political theory that absolute power should be vested in one or more rulers
b
: government by an absolute ruler or authority : despotism
2
: advocacy of a rule by absolute standards or principles
3
: an absolute standard or principle
absolutist noun or adjective
absolutistic adjective

Examples of absolutism in a Sentence

concerning absolutism Lord Acton famously observed that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”
Recent Examples on the Web Between an array of eclectic characters and meditations on absolutism, O'Brien paints a new, unflinching portrait of Americana that reads like a road map to our modern age. Ew Staff, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2023 Elon’s free speech absolutism push is definitely a hot topic on Twitter. Brian Contreras, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023 Yet tens of millions of Americans seem undeterred by the prospect of absolutism, cruelty, and corruption on the horizon. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023 Even before Musk took ownership of then-Twitter, experts worried that his particular brand of free speech absolutism would lead to a flood of trolls and hate speech on the platform. WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023 This search for absolutism has led, ironically, to a sense of greater arbitrariness. Rory Smith, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023 That absolutism poses an issue when privacy advocates demand private or copyrighted data to be removed from A.I. tools. Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023 On brand with SoftBank’s newfound A.I. absolutism, Arm has positioned itself as a winner within the ongoing generative A.I. boom, as its CPUs run A.I. and machine learning workloads in devices like smartphones, cameras, or cars. Byjessica Mathews, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2023 Eric Adams, who is anti-remote-work and pro-living-in-your-office, has relented on his return-to-office absolutism (sort of). Curbed, 1 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'absolutism.' 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

absolute + -ism (in political sense after French absolutisme)

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of absolutism was in 1823

Dictionary Entries Near absolutism

Cite this Entry

“Absolutism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absolutism. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on absolutism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!