PLURALISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pluralism mean? 

• PLURALISM (noun)
  The noun PLURALISM has 3 senses:

1. a social organization in which diversity of racial or religious or ethnic or cultural groups is tolerated

2. the doctrine that reality consists of several basic substances or elements

3. the practice of one person holding more than one benefice at a time

  Familiarity information: PLURALISM used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PLURALISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A social organization in which diversity of racial or religious or ethnic or cultural groups is tolerated

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("pluralism" is a kind of...):

social organisation; social organization; social structure; social system; structure (the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships)

Derivation:

pluralist (someone who believes that distinct ethnic or cultural or religious groups can exist together in society)

pluralistic (of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of pluralism)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The doctrine that reality consists of several basic substances or elements

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("pluralism" 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)

Antonym:

monism (the doctrine that reality consists of a single basic substance or element)

Derivation:

pluralist (a philosopher who believes that no single explanation can account for all the phenomena of nature)

pluralistic (of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of pluralism)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The practice of one person holding more than one benefice at a time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("pluralism" is a kind of...):

pattern; practice (a customary way of operation or behavior)

Derivation:

pluralist (a cleric who holds more than one benefice at a time)