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An axiom is a principle widely accepted on the basis of its intrinsic merit or one regarded as self-evidently true. A statement that is axiomatic therefore, is one against which few people would argue. "Axiomatic" entered English from Middle Greek axiōmatikos, and "axiom" derived via Latin from Greek axiōma ("something worthy") and "axios" ("worthy"). The word axiom can also refer to a statement accepted as true as the basis for argument or inference. Such axioms are often employed in discussions of philosophy, as well as in mathematics and geometry (where they are sometimes called postulates).

Examples of axiomatic in a Sentence

It is axiomatic that good athletes have a strong mental attitude. it's axiomatic that the instinct for self-preservation is universal throughout the animal kingdom

Recent Examples on the Web That gold tends to rally as equities slump is no longer axiomatic in these markets. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, 1 June 2021 Smith is likened to Honest Abe, the humble rail-splitter who overturned the slave power by announcing the axiomatic truth of human equality. — Samuel Goldman, Star Tribune, 31 Mar. 2021 But any attempt to revive him in the present day was an axiomatic no-no. — Abraham Riesman, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2021 Today, the assessment that a major cyber attack poses a threat to financial stability is axiomatic— not a question of if, but when. — CNN, 14 Mar. 2021 That there would be no English literary tradition without Greek and Latin is almost axiomatic. — Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2020 That's proved axiomatic during the coronavirus outbreak. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2020 Several researchers working on reconstructions now hope that its axiomatic approach will help us see how to pose quantum theory in a way that forges a connection with the modern theory of gravitation — Einstein’s general relativity. — Quanta Magazine, 30 Aug. 2017 Mathematical logic was developed with the hope of placing mathematics on firm foundations — as an axiomatic system, free of contradiction, that could keep reasoning from slipping into incoherence. — Quanta Magazine, 3 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'axiomatic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.