polytheism

[ pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm, pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods.

polytheism

/ ˈpɒlɪθiːˌɪzəm; ˌpɒlɪˈθiːɪzəm /

noun

1. the worship of or belief in more than one god

polytheism

1. The belief in more than one god. The ancient Greeks, for example, were polytheists; their gods included Apollo , Athena , Dionysus , and Zeus . ( Compare monotheism .)

Derived Forms

• ˌpolytheˈistic, adjective
• ˈpolyˌtheist, noun
• ˌpolytheˈistically, adverb

Other Words From

• poly·theist noun
• poly·the·istic poly·the·isti·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polytheism¹

1605–15; poly- + theism; compare French polythéisme

Example Sentences

Samakov recalled one incident near the town of Tokmok where an angry crowd tried to cut down several sacred trees, accusing the people visiting them to pray of engaging in “shirk,” or polytheism, considered the worst sin in Islam.

From Seattle Times

Pagan polytheism in ancient Rome was dizzyingly complicated, the gods seen as constant companions who hovered over the city’s mortal residents from birth to death, communicating with them incessantly but obliquely from their temples and shrines.

From New York Times

Derived from African polytheism and ancestor worship, the faith revolves around the idea that spirits, rather than one God, intercede in the daily lives of humans and can be conjured by dance, music, snakes and other practices.

From Washington Post

Moses' motive, Freud hypothesized, was to preserve a sect of the ancient Egyptian religion which rejected polytheism and only worshipped the sun god, Aten.

From Salon

“That feels like it’s really specific to L.A. as a cosmopolitan city. Greek polytheism is all about the ability to absorb other gods, and there is an inherent cultural exchange that’s a part of that.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• tritheism