Definition of DEIST

Other Words from deism

deist \ ˈdē-ist

, ˈdā- \ noun, often capitalized

deistic \ dē-ˈi-stik

, dā- \ adjective

deistical \ dē-ˈi-sti-kəl

, dā- \ adjective

deistically \ dē-ˈi-sti-k(ə-)lē

, dā- \ adverb

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Belief in God based on reason rather than revelation or the teaching of any specific religion is known as deism. The word originated in England in the early 17th century as a rejection of orthodox Christianity. Deists asserted that reason could find evidence of God in nature and that God had created the world and then left it to operate under the natural laws devised by God. By the late 18th century, deism was the dominant religious attitude among Europe’s educated classes; it was accepted by many upper-class Americans of the same era, including the first three US presidents.

Examples of deism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This vague gesture in the direction of deism has no antecedent in the book, no moral or theological trajectory to make Bambi’s insight meaningful or satisfying. — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 Those intuitions usually commended a staid deism and scorn for those whose beliefs extended any further. — Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021 Our Founding Fathers were mostly influenced by deism. — WSJ, 15 Jan. 2021 These concepts readily passed from Rousseau’s sentimental deism, to Hegel’s doctrine of world-historical progress, to Marx, and to progressivism today. — John D. Hagen, National Review, 20 Aug. 2020 And yet Kelso returned to a kind of deism after the war. — D.g. Hart, WSJ, 22 Aug. 2018

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

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