illuminism

noun il·lu·mi·nism \ i-ˈlü-mə-ˌni-zəm \

Definition of illuminism

1 : belief in or claim to a personal enlightenment not accessible to humankind in general

2 capitalized : beliefs or claims viewed as forming doctrine or principles of Illuminati

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illuminist

play \i-ˈlü-mə-nist\ noun

Recent Examples of illuminism from the Web

Father Laurentin was careful to acknowledge that claims of apparitions can flow from illuminism — a belief that one has attained a degree of enlightenment denied to most people — or madness.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "René Laurentin, Investigator of Celestial Visions, Dies at 99," 15 Sep. 2017

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