atman
UK/ˈɑːtman/
atman noun: the true self of an individual beyond identification with worldly phenomena, the essence of an individual, an infinitesimal part of Brahman.
Noun (1)
atman (plural atmans)
- The true self of an individual beyond identification with worldly phenomena, the essence of an individual, an infinitesimal part of Brahman.
- However, we have been led beyond this to a threefold analysis which in its western version is body-soul-spirit and in its eastern version body-mind-atman.1994, John Hick, Death and Eternal Life, page 450
- Atman is the manifestation of brahman in the human body. The central theme of the Upanishads is that in the liberated state the atman is identical with brahman.[…]The word atman is generally translated as soul, self or spirit. However, in view of the Western definition of the soul, atman and soul...2005, Bansi Pandit, Explore Hinduism, page 63
- Synonyms:
- witness-consciousness
Noun (2) capitalized: Atman
Atman (plural Atmans)
- Alternative form of atman.
Examples of atman in a sentence
- Atman is the manifestation of brahman in the human body.2005, Bansi Pandit, Explore Hinduism, page 63:
- The human being in Hindu thought comprises Atman (or Punisha) and Maya (or Prakriti).2006, Donald Goergen, Fire of Love: Encountering the Holy Spirit, page 151:
- The Brahmanic tradition that Buddhism is both connected to and a reaction against was, according to almost every scholar, over the top as regards atman.2011, Owen Flanagan, The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized, page 124:
Synonyms of atman
Forms of atman
| plural | atmans |
|---|---|
| alternative form | aatma |
| alternative form | aatman |
| alternative form | atma |
| alternative form | Atman |
| alternative form | Ātman |
| plural | Atmans |
Origin of atman
From Sanskrit आत्मन् (ātmán, “soul; self; ego; essence”). Doublet of edder (“blood vessel”) and cognate with Old English ǣþm (“breath”).
Questions about atman
- What does atman mean?
- Atman means the true self of an individual beyond identification with worldly phenomena, the essence of an individual, an infinitesimal part of Brahman.
- How do you use atman in a sentence?
- Atman is the manifestation of brahman in the human body.
- What part of speech is atman?
- Atman is a noun.
- How do you pronounce atman?
- Atman is pronounced /ˈɑːtman/ (UK).
- What is the plural of atman?
- The plural of atman is atmans.
Words near atman in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: atman (page history and authors); Atman (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “atman.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/atman. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.