academicism

noun

ac·​a·​dem·​i·​cism ˌa-kə-ˈde-mə-ˌsi-zəm 

variants or less commonly academism

ə-ˈka-də-ˌmi-zəm 

1

: the doctrines of Plato's Academy

specifically : the skeptical doctrines of the later Academy holding that nothing can be known compare pyrrhonism

2

: a formal academic quality (as in art or music)

3

: purely speculative thoughts and attitudes

Examples of academicism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In his own hands as time passed, and in the hands of countless imitators, his break with academicism became academic. — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 11 May 2026

When certain filmmakers presume to contrive stories of rural people of faith, there’s always the risk that a certain academicism, and some worse things, will dominate their explorations. — Glenn Kenny, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2023

But for researchers like Garcia-Romeu, measuring and quantifying the relationship between mystical states and mental health improvement goes beyond mere academicism. — Natan Ponieman, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2021

But three paintings from after 1900 stand out for their size and ambition, if also their increasing academicism. — Roberta Smith, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2020

Word History

Etymology

academic entry 1 or academy + -ism

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for academicism

• absolutism
• adventurism
• aestheticism
• africanism
• agnosticism
• alcoholism
• anachronism
• anglicanism
• antagonism
• arianism
• asceticism
• astigmatism