nominalism Hear it!

nominalism Definition

nomi·nal·ism (-iz′əm)

noun

a philosophical doctrine of the late Middle Ages that all universal or abstract terms are mere necessities of thought or conveniences of language and therefore exist as names only with no ideal realities corresponding to them

Etymology: Fr nominalisme: see nominal & -ism

nominalism Related Forms
nom′i·nal·ist noun, adjective nom′i·nal·is′·tic adjective
nominalism Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • philosophical: In short, when it comes to individual identity, Buddhism takes a similar position to philosophical nominalism.