quietism

noun qui·et·ism \ ˈkwī-ə-ˌti-zəm \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of quietism

1 a : a system of religious mysticism teaching that perfection and spiritual peace are attained by annihilation of the will and passive absorption in contemplation of God and divine things

b : a passive withdrawn attitude or policy toward the world or worldly affairs

2 : a state of calmness or passivity

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quietist

play \ˈkwī-ə-tist\ adjective or noun

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quietistic

play \ˌkwī-ə-ˈti-stik\ adjective

Recent Examples of quietism from the Web

What was an ultimately unsuccessful effort to draw the monkhood out of its political quietism swiftly mutated into an anti-progressive force, and continued to endure as a dark cloud over the region’s politics in subsequent decades.

— amar diwakar, The New Republic, "Saffron Curtain: How Buddhism Was Weaponized During the Cold War," 23 Mar. 2018
To acknowledge this fact is not to call for quietism.

— jacob brogan, Slate Magazine, "The Global Seed Vault may seem like a failsafe for end times, but it’s actually a reminder that the world is always ending.," 27 Mar. 2017
The piece predicts that political quietism, wars, pandemics, and fossil-fuel stubbornness will lead to civilizational collapse and a long dark age.

— joey eschrich, Slate Magazine, "Even the most far-out visions of tomorrow assume capitalism will survive.," 20 Sep. 2017
Diana was more aggressive, the clamorous defender of quietism.

— tobi haslett, The New Yorker, "The Feuds of Diana Trilling," 29 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of quietism

¹quiet + -ism, after quietist "practitioner of quietism," probably borrowed from Italian quietista, from quiete ¹quiet + -ista ¹-ist (perhaps after Spanish oración de quietud, literally, "prayer of quiet," phrase used by the mystics Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1687

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year