Meanings
moralistic therapeutic deism1
alternative Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
- uncountablelifestyleA diffuse and nonspecific conception of theism and morality, not necessarily anchored in any established religious doctrine, identified as prevalent among American adolescents in the early twenty-first century.
'Moralistic Therapeutic Deism' indicates the young people's view is that religion is 'good for you' in so far as it provides people with a moral framework (Sara Savage, Sylvia Collins-Mayo, Making sense of Generation Y: the world view of 15- to 25-year-olds, 2006, p. 50)
Synonyms: MTD
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism2
- uncountableAlternative letter-case form of moralistic therapeutic deism.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA diffuse and nonspecific conception of theism and morality, not necessarily anchored in any established religious doctrine, identified as prevalent among American adolescents in the early twenty-first century.
Origin
First use appears c. 2005. Coined by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton in Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
moralistic therapeutic deism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moralistic%20therapeutic%20deism
“moralistic therapeutic deism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moralistic%20therapeutic%20deism. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moralistic therapeutic deism,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moralistic%20therapeutic%20deism.
Source: moralistic therapeutic deism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.