solipsism
noun
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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
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
This was precisely the space occupied by Andersen’s emperor, whose solipsism and stubborn self-regard were visible, even if his clothes were not.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
The solipsism of low self-esteem is one of the wonders of the human psyche.
—Vivian Gornick, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2025
Agnes is socially competent, even charismatic, but beset by neuroses that seem genuinely frustrating to her, not the self-satisfied post-Woody Allen solipsism common to auteurs of this ilk.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for solipsism
Cite this Entry
“Solipsism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solipsism. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
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