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NIHILISM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A revolutionary doctrine that advocates destruction of the social system for its own sake
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("nihilism" is a kind of...):
doctrine; ism; philosophical system; philosophy; school of thought (a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school)
Derivation:
nihilist (an advocate of anarchism)
nihilist (someone who rejects all theories of morality or religious belief)
nihilistic (of or relating to nihilism)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Complete denial of all established authority and institutions
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("nihilism" is a kind of...):
anarchy; lawlessness (a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government))
Derivation:
nihilist (an advocate of anarchism)
nihilist (someone who rejects all theories of morality or religious belief)
nihilistic (of or relating to nihilism)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The delusion that things (or everything, including the self) do not exist; a sense that everything is unreal
Synonyms:
nihilism; nihilistic delusion
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("nihilism" is a kind of...):
delusion; psychotic belief ((psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary)
