Wordbay · Philosophy & belief
Words from philosophy and belief
The ideas behind arguments about what is true, what is right and what anything means, each squeezed into a plain sentence.
Everyday (21)
- agnostic noun. A person who believes that whether God exists cannot be known, or who is undecided about it.
- conscience noun. The inner sense of right and wrong that guides what a person does and makes them feel guilty when they fail it.
- dilemma noun. A situation where you must choose between two options that are both difficult or unwelcome.
- dogma noun. A belief or set of beliefs laid down by an authority and held to be true beyond question.
- enlightenment noun. The state of understanding something clearly, or in Buddhism a final awakening that frees one from suffering.
- epiphany noun. A sudden, striking moment of understanding or insight.
- ethics noun. The moral principles that guide behaviour, or the branch of philosophy that studies right and wrong.
- existential adjective. Relating to existence itself, especially to the questions of why we exist and how to live with meaning.
- free will noun. The power to make choices that are genuinely one's own rather than fixed by fate or prior causes.
- heresy noun. A belief that goes against the official teaching of a religion, or any opinion that defies accepted views.
- ideology noun. A connected set of beliefs and ideals that shapes how a person or group thinks politics and society should work.
- karma noun. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the principle that a person's actions decide their future fate, in this life or the next.
- metaphysical adjective. Concerned with the fundamental nature of reality, being and knowledge, beyond what the senses can show.
- pious adjective. Deeply religious and devout; also used of a show of virtue that seems self-righteous.
- platonic adjective. Of a close relationship: affectionate, but not romantic or sexual.
- premise noun. A statement assumed to be true that an argument or theory is built on.
- principle noun. A basic truth, rule or belief that guides how someone acts or how something works.
- raison d'être noun. The most important reason for someone's or something's existence.
- sceptic noun. A person who questions or doubts claims, especially those others accept without evidence.
- secular adjective. Not connected with religion or spiritual matters.
- utopia noun. An imagined place or state in which everything is perfect.
Well-read (26)
- apostate noun. Someone who gives up a religion, party or cause they once followed.
- ascetic adjective. Choosing a strict, simple life without comforts or pleasures, often for religious or moral reasons.
- casuistry noun. Clever but misleading reasoning, especially about right and wrong.
- determinism noun. The view that every event, including human choices, is the inevitable result of earlier causes.
- dualism noun. The view that reality, or a person, is made of two distinct kinds of thing, such as mind and body.
- egalitarian adjective. Based on the belief that all people are equal and deserve the same rights and opportunities.
- empiricism noun. The view that knowledge comes chiefly from experience and observation rather than from reason alone.
- epistemology noun. The branch of philosophy that asks what knowledge is, how we get it and how far we can trust it.
- falsifiable adjective. Able, at least in principle, to be shown false by some observation or test.
- hagiography noun. A biography that flatters its subject uncritically; originally the writing of saints' lives.
- hedonism noun. The pursuit of pleasure as the main goal of life, or the belief that pleasure is the highest good.
- nihilism noun. The belief that life has no meaning or value and that moral principles have no real basis.
- ontology noun. The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of being and what kinds of things exist.
- pantheism noun. The belief that God and the universe are one, so that the divine is present in all of nature.
- paradigm noun. A model or pattern of thinking that shapes how a field sees its problems and answers.
- proselytise verb. To try to convert people to your religion, belief or enthusiasm.
- providence noun. The protective care of God or a higher power over the world and human lives.
- relativism noun. The view that truth and morality are not absolute but depend on culture, period or individual outlook.
- sacrilege noun. Treating something holy with disrespect, or, jokingly, mistreating anything people hold precious.
- sectarian adjective. Relating to bitter division between religious or political groups, often marked by hostility.
- solipsism noun. The idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist; also an extreme self-absorption that ignores others.
- sophistry noun. Reasoning that sounds clever but is deliberately misleading.
- stoicism noun. Calm endurance of hardship without complaint; also the ancient philosophy of accepting what you cannot control.
- theocracy noun. A system of government in which religious leaders rule in the name of a god.
- transcendent adjective. Going beyond ordinary limits or experience; in religion, existing beyond the physical world.
- utilitarian adjective. Judging actions by their results, aiming for the greatest happiness of the greatest number; also plain and practical.
Advanced (21)
- anagnorisis noun. The moment in a story when a character discovers a crucial truth about their situation or identity.
- antinomian adjective. Rejecting moral or social rules as binding, originally the belief that faith frees believers from moral law.
- apophatic adjective. Describing God only by what God is not, since the divine is held to be beyond any positive description.
- ataraxia noun. A state of untroubled calm and freedom from anxiety, prized by ancient Greek philosophers.
- bibliomancy noun. Seeking guidance or predicting the future by opening a book at random and reading the first passage seen.
- chrematistic adjective. Relating to the pursuit of wealth, or to making money for its own sake.
- eristic adjective. Arguing for the sake of winning rather than to find the truth.
- eschatology noun. The part of theology concerned with death, judgement and the final destiny of humanity and the world.
- eudaimonia noun. In Aristotle's ethics, the flourishing that comes from living well and fulfilling one's potential.
- glossolalia noun. Speech that sounds like a language but isn't one, especially in religious worship.
- inchoate adjective. Only just begun and not yet fully formed or developed.
- nescience noun. Lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance.
- noetic adjective. To do with the mind or the intellect, especially knowing by thought.
- numinous adjective. Filled with a sense of the holy or mysterious, inspiring awe and a feeling of something greater.
- panpsychism noun. The view that mind or consciousness is a basic feature of all matter, not just of brains.
- paralogism noun. A piece of faulty reasoning, especially one the reasoner doesn't notice.
- sempiternal adjective. Lasting for ever; without beginning or end.
- syncretism noun. The blending of different religions, cultures or schools of thought into a new whole.
- teleology noun. Explaining things by the purpose or end they serve rather than by their causes.
- theodicy noun. An attempt to explain why a good and all-powerful God allows evil and suffering.
- venial adjective. Minor and easily forgiven.