solipsism

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

solipsist

2 of 2

noun (2)

solip·​sist -sə̇st 

plural -s

: an adherent or advocate of solipsism

the artist's egoism is outrageous … he is by nature a solipsist and the world exists only for him to exercise upon it his powers of creation

—W. S. Maugham

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

Noun

Her first book, Notes on a Foreign Country (2018), seeks to take stock of, and renounce, American solipsism abroad. — Suzy Hansen, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2026

The Kardashians have been rewarded handsomely for their entrepreneurial solipsism. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026

But many progressive activists see that as an excuse for solipsism that serves to maintain the status quo. — Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026

Perhaps the pandemic is to blame, or the solipsism of the smartphone. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Latin solus alone + ipse self

Noun (2)

solipsism + -ist

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1836, in the meaning defined above

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