presentism

noun

pres·ent·ism | \ ˈpre-zᵊn-ˌti-zəm

How to pronounce presentism (audio)

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Definition of presentism

: an attitude toward the past dominated by present-day attitudes and experiences

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Examples of presentism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The presentism that Hartog fleshed out in his writing is a cynical worldview devoid of vision. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "It’s not your imagination—the pandemic has thoroughly upended our relationship to time," 12 July 2020 This is not a case of presentism, that historical sin of applying present-day virtues upon the past. — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, "The Glenn Highway is named for a war criminal who torturing captives during the Philippine-American War," 19 Oct. 2020 Hartog is quick to point out that this idea of presentism doesn’t explain all of modern life’s conundrums. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "It’s not your imagination—the pandemic has thoroughly upended our relationship to time," 12 July 2020 With presentism, there are the victors, and the vanquished. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "It’s not your imagination—the pandemic has thoroughly upended our relationship to time," 12 July 2020 Every critic today should beware of presentism: judging people from 50, 150, or 500 years ago based on 2017’s fragile sensitivities. — Deroy Murdock, National Review, "Monuments to Racist Democrats Should Enrage Leftist Mobs," 30 Aug. 2017 Of all the prejudices of pundits, presentism is the strongest. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, "Are Liberals on the Wrong Side of History?," 20 Mar. 2017 Okay, so besides narrative collapse, what are the other struggles of presentism? — R.u. Sirius, WIRED, "Living in the Present Is a Disorder," 8 Apr. 2013

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

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Dictionary Entries near presentism

presentment of Englishry

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“Presentism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presentism. Accessed 24 Feb. 2021.

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