-
animalism
0
n 1: the doctrine that human beings are purely animal in nature
and lacking a spiritual nature
2: preoccupation with satisfaction of physical drives and
appetites [syn: animalism, physicality]
-
bilateralism
0
n 1: the property of being symmetrical about a vertical plane
[syn: bilaterality, bilateralism, bilateral symmetry]
-
bilingualism
0
n 1: the ability to speak two languages colloquially
-
bimetallism
0
n 1: a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency
is defined by stated amounts of two metals (usually gold
and silver) with values set at a predetermined ratio
-
bosom
0
n 1: the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are
kept; "his bosom was bursting with the secret"
2: a person's breast or chest
3: cloth that covers the chest or breasts
4: a close affectionate and protective acceptance; "his willing
embrace of new ideas"; "in the bosom of the family" [syn:
embrace, bosom]
5: the locus of feelings and intuitions; "in your heart you know
it is true"; "her story would melt your bosom" [syn: heart,
bosom]
6: either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on
the chest of a woman [syn: breast, bosom, knocker,
boob, tit, titty]
v 1: hide in one's bosom; "She bosomed his letters"
2: squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with
fondness; "Hug me, please"; "They embraced"; "He hugged her
close to him" [syn: embrace, hug, bosom, squeeze]
-
botulism
0
n 1: food poisoning from ingesting botulin; not infectious;
affects the CNS; can be fatal if not treated promptly
-
cabalism
0
n 1: the doctrines of the Kabbalah [syn: Kabbalism,
Cabalism]
2: adherence to some extreme traditional theological concept or
interpretation [syn: kabbalism, cabalism]
-
cannibalism
0
n 1: the practice of eating the flesh of your own kind
-
catabolism
0
n 1: breakdown in living organisms of more complex substances
into simpler ones together with release of energy [syn:
catabolism, katabolism, dissimilation, destructive
metabolism] [ant: anabolism, constructive metabolism]
-
cataclysm
0
n 1: a sudden violent change in the earth's surface [syn:
catastrophe, cataclysm]
2: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; "the whole
city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the
earthquake was a disaster" [syn: calamity, catastrophe,
disaster, tragedy, cataclysm]
-
cataplasm
0
n 1: a medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal
or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc. [syn:
poultice, cataplasm, plaster]
-
centralism
0
n 1: the political policy of concentrating power in a central
organization
-
chasm
0
n 1: a deep opening in the earth's surface
-
chiliasm
0
n 1: belief in the Christian doctrine of the millennium
mentioned in the Book of Revelations [syn:
millenarianism, millenarism, millenniumism,
chiliasm]
-
classicalism
0
n 1: a movement in literature and art during the 17th and 18th
centuries in Europe that favored rationality and restraint
and strict forms; "classicism often derived its models from
the ancient Greeks and Romans" [syn: classicism,
classicalism] [ant: Romantic Movement, Romanticism]
-
clericalism
0
n 1: a policy of supporting the influence and power of the
clergy in secular or political matters
-
commercialism
0
n 1: transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of
supplying commodities (goods and services) [syn:
commerce, commercialism, mercantilism]
-
communalism
0
n 1: the practice of communal living and common ownership
2: loyalty and commitment to the interests of your own minority
or ethnic group rather than to society as a whole
-
conceptualism
0
n 1: the doctrine that the application of a general term to
various objects indicates the existence of a mental entity
that mediates the application
-
conventionalism
0
n 1: orthodoxy as a consequence of being conventional [syn:
conventionality, convention, conventionalism] [ant:
unconventionality]
-
cytoplasm
0
n 1: the protoplasm of a cell excluding the nucleus; is full of
proteins that control cell metabolism [syn: cytoplasm,
cytol]
-
denominationalism
0
n 1: a narrow-minded adherence to a particular sect or party or
denomination; "he condemned religious sectarianism" [syn:
sectarianism, denominationalism]
2: the tendency, in Protestantism, to separate into religious
denominations or to advocate such separations
-
diabolism
0
n 1: a belief in and reverence for devils (especially Satan)
[syn: diabolism, demonism, Satanism]
-
dualism
0
n 1: the doctrine that reality consists of two basic opposing
elements, often taken to be mind and matter (or mind and
body), or good and evil
-
ectoplasm
0
n 1: (spiritualism) a substance supposed to emanate from the
body of the medium during a trance
2: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
-
ecumenicalism
0
n 1: (Christianity) the doctrine of the ecumenical movement that
promotes cooperation and better understanding among
different religious denominations: aimed at universal
Christian unity [syn: ecumenism, ecumenicism,
ecumenicalism]
-
embolism
0
n 1: an insertion into a calendar [syn: embolism,
intercalation]
2: occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus (a loose clot or
air bubble or other particle)
-
emotionalism
0
n 1: emotional nature or quality [syn: emotionality,
emotionalism] [ant: emotionlessness, unemotionality]
-
endoplasm
0
n 1: the inner portion of the cytoplasm of a cell
-
enthusiasm
0
n 1: a feeling of excitement
2: overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval [syn:
exuberance, enthusiasm, ebullience]
3: a lively interest; "enthusiasm for his program is growing"
-
environmentalism
0
n 1: the philosophical doctrine that environment is more
important than heredity in determining intellectual growth
[ant: hereditarianism]
2: the activity of protecting the environment from pollution or
destruction
-
evangelism
0
n 1: zealous preaching and advocacy of the gospel
-
existentialism
0
n 1: (philosophy) a 20th-century philosophical movement chiefly
in Europe; assumes that people are entirely free and thus
responsible for what they make of themselves [syn:
existentialism, existential philosophy, existentialist
philosophy]
-
experimentalism
0
n 1: an empirical doctrine that advocates experimental
principles
2: an orientation that favors experimentation and innovation;
"the children of psychologists are often raised in an
atmosphere of experimentalism"
-
fatalism
0
n 1: a submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of
the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined
and inevitable
2: a philosophical doctrine holding that all events are
predetermined in advance for all time and human beings are
powerless to change them
-
federalism
0
n 1: the idea of a federal organization of more or less self-
governing units
-
feudalism
0
n 1: the social system that developed in Europe in the 8th
century; vassals were protected by lords who they had to
serve in war [syn: feudalism, feudal system]
-
formalism
0
n 1: the doctrine that formal structure rather than content is
what should be represented [ant: imitation]
2: (philosophy) the philosophical theory that formal (logical or
mathematical) statements have no meaning but that its symbols
(regarded as physical entities) exhibit a form that has
useful applications
3: the practice of scrupulous adherence to prescribed or
external forms
-
fundamentalism
0
n 1: the interpretation of every word in the sacred texts as
literal truth
-
holism
0
n 1: the theory that the parts of any whole cannot exist and
cannot be understood except in their relation to the whole;
"holism holds that the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts"; "holistic theory has been applied to ecology and
language and mental states" [syn: holism, holistic
theory] [ant: atomic theory, atomism, atomist
theory, atomistic theory]
-
iconoclasm
0
n 1: the orientation of an iconoclast
-
individualism
0
n 1: the quality of being individual; "so absorbed by the
movement that she lost all sense of individuality" [syn:
individuality, individualism, individuation] [ant:
commonality, commonness]
2: a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue
of self-reliance and personal independence
3: the doctrine that government should not interfere in
commercial affairs [syn: individualism, laissez faire]
-
infantilism
0
n 1: an abnormal condition in which an older child or adult
retains infantile characteristics
2: infantile behavior in mature persons
-
internationalism
0
n 1: the doctrine that nations should cooperate because their
common interests are more important than their differences
[ant: nationalism]
2: quality of being international in scope; "he applauded the
internationality of scientific terminology" [syn:
internationality, internationalism]
-
journalism
0
n 1: newspapers and magazines collectively [syn: journalism,
news media]
2: the profession of reporting or photographing or editing news
stories for one of the media
-
legalism
0
n 1: strict conformity to the letter of the law rather than its
spirit
-
liberalism
0
n 1: a political orientation that favors social progress by
reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution
2: an economic theory advocating free competition and a self-
regulating market
-
literalism
0
n 1: the doctrine of realistic (literal) portrayal in art or
literature
2: a disposition to interpret statements in their literal sense
-
localism
0
n 1: a phrase or pronunciation that is peculiar to a particular
locality
2: a partiality for some particular place [syn: sectionalism,
provincialism, localism]
-
macrocosm
0
n 1: everything that exists anywhere; "they study the evolution
of the universe"; "the biggest tree in existence" [syn:
universe, existence, creation, world, cosmos,
macrocosm]
-
metabolism
0
n 1: the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an
adult that occurs in some animals [syn: metamorphosis,
metabolism]
2: the organic processes (in a cell or organism) that are
necessary for life [syn: metabolism, metabolic process]
-
microcosm
0
n 1: a miniature model of something
-
minimalism
0
n 1: an art movement in sculpture and painting that began in the
1950s and emphasized extreme simplification of form and
color [syn: minimalism, minimal art, reductivism]
-
mongolism
0
n 1: a congenital disorder caused by having an extra 21st
chromosome; results in a flat face and short stature and
mental retardation [syn: mongolism, mongolianism,
Down's syndrome, Down syndrome, trisomy 21]
-
nationalism
0
n 1: love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it; "they
rode the same wave of popular patriotism"; "British
nationalism was in the air and patriotic sentiments ran
high" [syn: patriotism, nationalism]
2: the doctrine that your national culture and interests are
superior to any other [ant: internationalism,
multiculturalism]
3: the aspiration for national independence felt by people under
foreign domination
4: the doctrine that nations should act independently (rather
than collectively) to attain their goals [ant:
internationalism]
-
naturalism
0
n 1: (philosophy) the doctrine that the world can be understood
in scientific terms without recourse to spiritual or
supernatural explanations
2: an artistic movement in 19th century France; artists and
writers strove for detailed realistic and factual description
[syn: naturalism, realism]
-
neoplasm
0
n 1: an abnormal new mass of tissue that serves no purpose [syn:
tumor, tumour, neoplasm]
-
orgasm
0
n 1: the moment of most intense pleasure in sexual intercourse
[syn: orgasm, climax, sexual climax, coming]
-
paternalism
0
n 1: the attitude (of a person or a government) that
subordinates should be controlled in a fatherly way for
their own good
-
phantasm
0
n 1: a ghostly appearing figure; "we were unprepared for the
apparition that confronted us" [syn: apparition,
phantom, phantasm, phantasma, fantasm, specter,
spectre]
2: something existing in perception only; "a ghostly apparition
at midnight" [syn: apparition, phantom, phantasm,
phantasma, fantasm, shadow]
-
photojournalism
0
n 1: journalism that presents a story primarily through the use
of pictures
-
pleonasm
0
n 1: using more words than necessary; "a tiny little child"
-
pluralism
0
n 1: a social organization in which diversity of racial or
religious or ethnic or cultural groups is tolerated
2: the doctrine that reality consists of several basic
substances or elements [ant: monism]
3: the practice of one person holding more than one benefice at
a time
-
pointillism
0
n 1: a school of painters who used a technique of painting with
tiny dots of pure colors that would blend in the viewer's
eye; developed by Georges Seurat and his followers late in
19th century France
2: a genre of painting characterized by the application of paint
in dots and small strokes; developed by Georges Seurat and
his followers in late 19th century France
-
populism
0
n 1: the political doctrine that supports the rights and powers
of the common people in their struggle with the privileged
elite
-
professionalism
0
n 1: the expertness characteristic of a professional person
-
protoplasm
0
n 1: the substance of a living cell (including cytoplasm and
nucleus) [syn: protoplasm, living substance]
-
provincialism
0
n 1: a lack of sophistication
2: a partiality for some particular place [syn: sectionalism,
provincialism, localism]
-
pugilism
0
n 1: fighting with the fists [syn: boxing, pugilism,
fisticuffs]
-
racialism
0
n 1: discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of
another race [syn: racism, racialism, racial
discrimination]
-
radicalism
0
n 1: the political orientation of those who favor revolutionary
change in government and society
-
rationalism
0
n 1: (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge is acquired by
reason without resort to experience
2: the theological doctrine that human reason rather than divine
revelation establishes religious truth
3: the doctrine that reason is the right basis for regulating
conduct [syn: rationalism, freethinking]
-
regionalism
0
n 1: a feature (as a pronunciation or expression or custom) that
is characteristic of a particular region
2: a foreign policy that defines the international interests of
a country in terms of particular geographic areas
3: loyalty to the interests of a particular region
-
revivalism
0
n 1: an attempt to reawaken the evangelical faith
-
sarcasm
0
n 1: witty language used to convey insults or scorn; "he used
sarcasm to upset his opponent"; "irony is wasted on the
stupid"; "Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do
generally discover everybody's face but their own"--
Jonathan Swift [syn: sarcasm, irony, satire, caustic
remark]
-
sectionalism
0
n 1: a partiality for some particular place [syn:
sectionalism, provincialism, localism]
-
sensationalism
0
n 1: subject matter that is calculated to excite and please
vulgar tastes
2: the journalistic use of subject matter that appeals to vulgar
tastes; "the tabloids relied on sensationalism to maintain
their circulation" [syn: sensationalism, luridness]
3: (philosophy) the ethical doctrine that feeling is the only
criterion for what is good [syn: sensualism,
sensationalism]
4: (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from
experience [syn: empiricism, empiricist philosophy,
sensationalism]
-
sentimentalism
0
n 1: the excessive expression of tender feelings, nostalgia, or
sadness in any form
2: a predilection for sentimentality
-
socialism
0
n 1: a political theory advocating state ownership of industry
2: an economic system based on state ownership of capital [syn:
socialism, socialist economy] [ant: capitalism,
capitalist economy]
-
somnambulism
0
n 1: walking by a person who is asleep [syn: sleepwalking,
somnambulism, somnambulation, noctambulism,
noctambulation]
-
spasm
0
n 1: a painful and involuntary muscular contraction [syn:
spasm, cramp, muscle spasm]
2: (pathology) sudden constriction of a hollow organ (as a blood
vessel)
-
spiritualism
0
n 1: (theology) any doctrine that asserts the separate existence
of God
2: the belief that the spirits of dead people can communicate
with people who are still alive (especially via a medium)
3: concern with things of the spirit [syn: spirituality,
spiritualism, spiritism, otherworldliness] [ant:
worldliness]
-
structuralism
0
n 1: linguistics defined as the analysis of formal structures in
a text or discourse [syn: structuralism, structural
linguistics]
2: an anthropological theory that there are unobservable social
structures that generate observable social phenomena [syn:
structuralism, structural anthropology]
3: a sociological theory based on the premise that society comes
before individuals [syn: structuralism, structural
sociology]
-
supernaturalism
0
n 1: a belief in forces beyond ordinary human understanding
2: the quality of being attributed to power that seems to
violate or go beyond natural forces [syn: supernaturalism,
supernaturalness]
-
symbolism
0
n 1: a system of symbols and symbolic representations
2: the practice of investing things with symbolic meaning [syn:
symbolism, symbolization, symbolisation]
3: an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to
express abstract or mystical ideas through the symbolic use
of images
-
syndicalism
0
n 1: a radical political movement that advocates bringing
industry and government under the control of labor unions
-
teetotalism
0
n 1: abstaining from alcohol [syn: teetotaling, teetotalism]
-
traditionalism
0
n 1: strict adherence to traditional methods or teachings [syn:
traditionalism, traditionality]
2: adherence to tradition (especially in cultural or religious
matters)
3: the doctrine that all knowledge was originally derived by
divine revelation and that it is transmitted by traditions
-
tribalism
0
n 1: the state of living together in tribes
2: the beliefs of a tribal society
-
universalism
0
n 1: the theological doctrine that all people will eventually be
saved
-
vandalism
0
n 1: willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of
others [syn: vandalism, hooliganism, malicious
mischief]
-
verbalism
0
n 1: the communication (in speech or writing) of your beliefs or
opinions; "expressions of good will"; "he helped me find
verbal expression for my ideas"; "the idea was immediate
but the verbalism took hours" [syn: expression, verbal
expression, verbalism]
2: overabundance of words [syn: verbiage, verbalism]
-
vocalism
0
n 1: the system of vowels used in a particular language [syn:
vowel system, vocalism]
2: the sound made by the vibration of vocal folds modified by
the resonance of the vocal tract; "a singer takes good care
of his voice"; "the giraffe cannot make any vocalizations"
[syn: voice, vocalization, vocalisation, vocalism,
phonation, vox]
-
plasm
0
n 1: the protoplasm of the germ cells that contains chromosomes
and genes [syn: germ plasm, plasm]
2: the colorless watery fluid of the blood and lymph that
contains no cells, but in which the blood cells
(erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes) are suspended
[syn: plasma, plasm, blood plasma]
-
sarcoplasm
0
n 1: the cytoplasm of a striated muscle fiber
-
mentalism
0
n 1: (philosophy) a doctrine that mind is the true reality and
that objects exist only as aspects of the mind's awareness
-
specialism
0
n 1: the concentration of your efforts on a particular field of
study or occupation
2: the special line of work you have adopted as your career;
"his specialization is gastroenterology" [syn:
specialization, specialisation, specialty,
speciality, specialism]
-
syndactylism
0
n 1: birth defect in which there is partial or total webbing
connecting two or more fingers or toes [syn: syndactyly,
syndactylism]
-
virilism
0
n 1: the development of male secondary sexual characteristics in
a female (or prematurely in a young boy)
-
commensalism
0
n 1: the relation between two different kinds of organisms when
one receives benefits from the other without damaging it