monotheism
Monotheism is the doctrine or belief that there is only one God, set against polytheism and against stances that deny deity altogether.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Definitions
- A religious or philosophical doctrine holding that there exists exactly one God (one divine being), rather than many gods.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In comparative religion: a typology that classifies traditions affirming one God over against polytheism (many gods), henotheism (devotion to one deity while allowing others), and atheism.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In public debate: a loose label for a stance or community that stresses the exclusivity of one God, sometimes used without theological precision against theism, deism, or ordinary church practice.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)
Examples
- The seminar contrasted monotheism with polytheism in order to separate belief in one God from the cult of many deities.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - The essay tracks how modern monotheism joined metaphysical speculation with criticism of plural pantheons and of anthropomorphic gods.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In the column the word monotheism stood for "Abrahamic faith" rather than for a precise philosophical typology.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - The student compared monotheism with pantheism and deism, asking where a single personal God ends and identity of divinity with the world, or a Maker without revelation, begins.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - The monograph warns readers not to confuse monotheism with henotheism, which may exalt one deity while still acknowledging others.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)
Usage
Everyday talk often treats monotheism as "belief in one God", membership in Abrahamic traditions, or a blunt opposite of polytheism. Academic prose is clearer when it splits three layers: metaphysical affirmation of a single God, a comparative typology (against polytheism, henotheism, pantheism and atheism), and an identity tag in cultural dispute. Religious rhetoric is loose: the name can signal orthodoxy or charge exclusivity. State the intended sense: doctrine, personal stance, or argumentative move. Without that frame the label slides into theism, deism or ordinary religious practice.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Webster 1913 derives Monotheism from Mono- joined to the Greek name for deity (compare French monothéisme). He defines the lemma as affirming a single God; Monotheist names an adherent, and Monotheistic is the adjective. Beside it he records Polytheism as belief in many gods. Skeat 1910 lacks a MONOTHEISM headword, yet lists MONO- (μόνος, single/sole), THEISM (θεός plus -ism, Not related to L. deus), and POLYTHEISM (πολύς plus θεός plus -ism). Those public-domain entries supply lexical facts; our wording is independent.
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Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913; W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 1910, open sourceCommon pairings include religious monotheism, philosophical monotheism, critique of monotheism, tradition of monotheism, and debate over monotheism. Monotheist as a noun names someone who holds the stance; monotheistic is the usual related adjective. Careful usage keeps the lemma apart from polytheism (many gods), from classical theism framed only as personal Creator talk, from deism (Maker often without revealed intervention), from pantheism (God identified with the cosmos), and from atheism (denial or lack of belief in deity). Writers still place those borders in different places.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Formally the noun attaches the Greek mono- stem ("one / sole", μόνος) to the theism family (θεός with the -ism suffix), with a French parallel monothéisme noted by Webster. Webster already lists Monotheism, Monotheist and Monotheistic as headwords and sets Polytheism as plurality of gods; Skeat marks MONO-, THEISM and POLYTHEISM without a separate MONOTHEISM entry. Our senses rest on those public-domain facts plus editorial wording, not on a modern encyclopaedia paraphrase. Mixing the label with poetic Abrahamic identity alone blurs the metaphysical claim that there is but one God.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Word forms
Regular English noun, usually uncountable; the plural monotheisms is rare and refers to different kinds or national versions of the doctrine.
word forms
| przypadek | forma |
|---|---|
| singular | monotheism |
| plural | monotheisms |
Word forms: Editorial team
Collocations
- religious monotheism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - philosophical monotheism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - critique of monotheism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - tradition of monotheism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - debate over monotheism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)
Synonyms · Antonyms
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open sourcesource
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open sourceEtymology
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open sourcealso
W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open sourceRelated words
- monotheist , noun: adherent of monotheism (Webster 1913 Monotheist)
- monotheistic , adjective: of or relating to monotheism (Webster 1913 Monotheistic)
- polytheism , related noun (contrastive): plurality of gods (Webster 1913 Polytheism; Skeat 1910 POLYTHEISM)
- theism , related noun (contrastive): affirmation of God, typically personal and distinct from creation
- deism , related noun (contrastive): Maker often without revealed historical intervention
- atheism , related noun (contrastive): denial or lack of belief in deity, not affirmation of one God
- monoteizm , etymologically related Polish noun
Related entries
Questions and answers
What does monotheism mean?
In philosophy and comparative religion it names the doctrine or belief that there exists only one God. A narrower register covers typology against polytheism, henotheism, pantheism and atheism. Outside the academy it can mean Abrahamic identity or church orthodoxy. Scope depends on register.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)How is monotheism different from polytheism, theism and deism?
Polytheism affirms many gods. Classical theism typically keeps a personal Creator distinct from creation and may or may not stress numerical oneness as its main claim. Deism usually grants a Maker yet often curbs revealed teaching and historical intervention. Monotheism here centres on there being but one God. Everyday speech often blurs these labels.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Is monotheism the same as henotheism?
No. Henotheism typically exalts one deity in worship while still allowing that other gods exist or matter. Monotheism denies plurality of gods and affirms exclusive oneness. Some traditions are debated across that border; the labels still name different claims.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Where does the word monotheism come from?
The root joins Greek mono- ("one / sole", μόνος) to theism (θεός plus -ism), with French monothéisme noted by Webster. Webster 1913 opens Monotheism from Mono- + the Greek word for god and lists Monotheist and Monotheistic; Polytheism is plurality of gods. Skeat 1910 has no separate MONOTHEISM entry, but records MONO-, THEISM and POLYTHEISM. The English lemma follows that Greek path.