pantheism

[ pan-thee-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. the doctrine that God is the transcendent reality of which the material universe and human beings are only manifestations: it involves a denial of God's personality and expresses a tendency to identify God and nature.
2. any religious belief or philosophical doctrine that identifies God with the universe.

pantheism

/ ˈpænθɪˌɪzəm /

noun

1. the doctrine that God is the transcendent reality of which man, nature, and the material universe are manifestations
2. any doctrine that regards God as identical with the material universe or the forces of nature
3. readiness to worship all or a large number of gods

pantheism

1. The belief that God, or a group of gods, is identical with the whole natural world; pantheism comes from Greek roots meaning “belief that everything is a god.”

Derived Forms

• ˌpantheˈistic, adjective
• ˈpantheist, noun
• ˌpantheˈistically, adverb

Other Words From

• pan·the·ist noun adjective
• pan·the·is·tic [pan-thee-, is, -tik], pan·the·is·ti·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pantheism¹

First recorded in 1700–10; from French panthéisme, equivalent to pan- ( def ) + theism ( def )

Example Sentences

Does their religious zeal for the disproven pantheism of former Vice President Al Gore enhance our national security or hurt it?

From Washington Times

From what two roots is "pantheism" derived?—What word is used to denote one who believes in pantheism?

From Literature

The liberal Christianity of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, while in certain ways better suited to hold the religious center, lacks internal vitality and is easily subsumed into a mixture of pantheism and gnosticism, with its moral vision supplied by a progressive activism that’s intolerant in its own distinctive way.

From New York Times

Lovecraft’s favorite supernatural short story, “The Willows,” also produced several head-spinning visionary novels around his belief in cosmic pantheism and the supra-human, most notably “The Centaur” and “Julius LeVallon.”

From Washington Post

Why not deism instead of theism, or pantheism instead of either?

From New York Times