solipsism

noun

so·​lip·​sism ˈsō-ləp-ˌsi-zəm 

ˈsä-

: a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing

also : extreme egocentrism

solipsist

ˈsō-ləp-sist 

ˈsä-ləp-

sə-ˈlip-

noun

Did you know?

French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) can be blamed for the idea that if one whittles away beliefs about which one cannot be certain, one will eventually land at the existence of the self as a singular certainty; however, he cannot be blamed for either the word solipsism or the theory it refers to. (Descartes avoided falling into solipsism by positing that ideas known with the same clarity as the existence of the self is known must also be true.) Philosophical application of the word likely owes something to the French translation of a satiric work written by Venetian scholar Giulio Clemente Scotti in 1645 called Monarchia Solipsorum —in French, La Monarchie des Solipses. The pertinent term is a composite of the Latin solus ("alone") and ipse ("self").

Examples of solipsism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kesey’s idea of breaking barriers was to ignore them: the barriers between keeping LSD a serious aid to mind expansion and promoting it as a delirious conduit for mass recreation, between spiritual revolution and hedonistic silliness, between activism and solipsism. —Geoff Dyer, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024

Sure, better a Jesse than the Pacific Lumber Company, but there’s still a sentimental solipsism in Redwood, an uneasy aspect of emotional tourism smothered in a broadside of throw-pillow truisms on connection, growth, and healing. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2025

American chauvinism and solipsism leads them to believe every country would love to join America. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025

There were critiques: some philosophers quibbled with the specifics of Paul’s decision modelling, others with the solipsism of focussing so much on the expectant parent rather than on the child or the world writ large. —Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin solus alone + ipse self

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

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