polytheism

noun

poly·​the·​ism ˈpä-lē-(ˌ)thē-ˌi-zəm 

: belief in or worship of more than one god

polytheist

ˈpä-lē-ˌthē-ist 

adjective or noun

Examples of polytheism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As Jewish identity crystallized during and after the Babylonian exile, polytheism remained an enduring temptation. — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026

The opera ends with Akhnaten’s son, presumably Tutankhamun, restoring polytheism, and then, once the staging jumps millennia into the future, it’s rediscovered by modern-day tourists. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Nefertiti was the principal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, the ruler who upended Egypt's religious customs away from polytheism and toward Atenism. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Western antiquity Christianity was shaped by its roots in Judaism, but also its rejection of Greco-Roman religious culture, especially its polytheism. — Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 20 Jan. 2026

Both discoveries date to the period when the Roman Empire was transitioning from polytheism to Christianity. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French polytheisme, from Late Greek polytheos polytheistic, from Greek, of many gods, from poly- + theos god

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

polytheism

noun

poly·​the·​ism ˈpäl-i-(ˌ)thē-ˌiz-əm 

: belief in or worship of more than one god

polytheist

-ˌthē-əst 

adjective or noun

polytheistic

ˌpäl-i-thē-ˈis-tik 

adjective