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

It has done this by appealing to "tradition" or "real America" or "heartland" or similar essentialist claims.

From Salon

This fluidity is evident in tracks like "Jennifer's Body" and "Gutless," where Love adopts different personas to explore the multiplicity of feminine identity and challenge essentialist notions of womanhood.

From Salon

But onboard the ship this question doesn’t seem essentialist: It feels essential, maybe even existential.

From Los Angeles Times

It is, frankly, a boring, essentialist point of view.

From Salon

But their maturation is less rooted in the essentialist DNA that tends to be embedded within these movies — that their journey to something will have fundamentally changed who they are — and more in refining and polishing who these characters were the whole time.

From Salon