essentialist

[ uh-sen-shuh-list ]

noun

1. Philosophy. someone who follows the principles of essentialism, believing that the inward, or essential, nature of most things is invariable, as opposed to the properties that are accidental, phenomenal, illusory, etc.:

   The author calls gender essentialists to account for what she sees as their oversimplification of observed gender differences in children.

2. Education. someone who follows the principles of essentialism, a doctrine that certain traditional concepts, ideals, and skills are essential to society and should be taught methodically to all students:

   Essentialists argue that a key function of school is to give young people the basic knowledge necessary for good citizenship.

adjective

1. following the principles of essentialism: Traditional disciplines such as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the essentialist curriculum.

   Scholars are increasingly warning against reducing ancient religions to monolithic, essentialist entities.

   Traditional disciplines such as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the essentialist curriculum.

Word History and Origins

Origin of essentialist¹

essential ( def ) + -ist ( def )

Example Sentences

The Arctis 9’s essentialist approach isn’t devoid of special features, though, and the core elements—its sound quality, its microphone, its industrial design—feature small flourishes that prove worthy of its higher price.

From Popular-Science

The new TV adaptation has clearly thought a lot about the complicated nature of gender, and by at least having done a lot of research, it’s doing about the best job it possibly can with a premise that is nevertheless essentialist by default.

From Vox

The objection to boycotting begins with its essentialist bigotry that attacks Israel as an entity rather than Israeli policy.

From The Daily Beast