essentialism

noun

es·​sen·​tial·​ism i-ˈsen(t)-shə-ˌli-zəm 

1

: an educational theory that ideas and skills basic to a culture should be taught to all alike by time-tested methods compare progressivism

2

: a philosophical theory ascribing ultimate reality to essence embodied in a thing perceptible to the senses compare nominalism

3

: the practice of regarding something (such as a presumed human trait) as having innate existence or universal validity rather than as being a social, ideological, or intellectual construct

essentialist

i-ˈsen(t)-shə-list 

adjective or noun

Examples of essentialism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, notes that the choice for a classic, warm neutral originated from a discussion about essentialism. —Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025

Each new challenge is framed as a test of whether the participants could hack it in what we’re supposed to believe is a harder but somehow truer, more rewarding, and—in an assumption about the division of labor that veers disconcertingly close to essentialism—more natural world. —Judy Berman, Time, 10 July 2025

But Lewis, who is probably best known for her part in bringing British-style trans-exclusionary feminism to the United States, is not averse to a little high-T essentialism herself. —S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

By embracing essentialism and maximizing emotional ROI, brands can become indispensable to consumers. —Ray Lansigan, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for essentialism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism