Word.ws English Dictionary

epicureanism

/ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm/

epicureanism is the alternative letter-case form of Epicureanism.

Noun capitalized: Epicureanism

Epicureanism (usually uncountable, plural Epicureanisms)

  1. (usually) The philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good, particularly as advocated by Epicurus with a focus on mental pleasures and on avoidance of pain (ataraxia) through moderation and common virtue.
  2. (proscribed, sometimes, usually) Synonym of hedonism, general pursuit of pleasure, particularly refined and knowledgeable enjoyment of good food, drink, and similar sensual pleasures.
    Synonyms:
    hedonism, general pursuit of pleasure, particularly refined and knowledgeable enjoyment of good food, drink, and similar sensual pleasures
  3. (obsolete, usually) Synonym of atheism.
    Synonyms:
    atheism

Synonyms of epicureanism

  • hedonism
  • general pursuit of pleasure
  • particularly refined and knowledgeable enjoyment of good food
  • drink
  • and similar sensual pleasures
  • atheism
  • epicurism

Forms of epicureanism

pluralEpicureanisms
alternative formepicureanism

Origin of epicureanism

From Epicurean + -ism. As a pejorative synonym of atheism, both from the philosophy's rejection of deontological morality and from Epicurus's specific belief that the Greek gods—if they did exist—did not concern themselves at all with mankind, its actions, or any system of reward or punishment for them. Doublet of epicurism.

Questions about epicureanism

What does epicureanism mean?
Epicureanism means the philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good, particularly as advocated by Epicurus with a focus on mental pleasures and on avoidance of pain (ataraxia) through moderation and common virtue.
What is epicureanism the alternative letter-case form of?
Epicureanism is the alternative letter-case form of Epicureanism.
What part of speech is epicureanism?
Epicureanism is a noun.
How do you pronounce epicureanism?
Epicureanism is pronounced /ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm/.
What is the plural of epicureanism?
The plural of epicureanism is Epicureanisms.

Words near epicureanism in the dictionary

  1. epicurean
  2. epicureanise
  3. epicureanised
  4. epicureanises
  5. epicureanising
  6. epicureanism
  7. Epicureanisms
  8. epicureanize
  9. epicureanized
  10. epicureanizes
  11. epicureanizing

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: epicureanism (page history and authors); Epicureanism (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: “epicureanism.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/epicureanism. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.