deflationism

D2E1F4L1A1T1I1O1N1I1S1M3
UK/dɪˈfleɪʃənɪzəm/

noun

A theory proposing that assertions that predicate truth of a statement do not attribute a property called truth to such a statement.

Scrabble 18
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Meanings

noundeflationism (usually uncountable, plural deflationisms)

plural deflationisms

  1. uncountableusuallyhuman sciencesA theory proposing that assertions that predicate truth of a statement do not attribute a property called truth to such a statement.

    In “The use of force against deflationism” they argue, against several versions of deflationism, that the concept of truth must play a substantive explanatory role in an adaquate account of assertion.

    2008 April 2, Robert Mößgen, “Dirk Greimann and Geo Siegwart, Truth and Speech Acts. Studies in the Philosophy of Language (=Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy, Vol. 5)”, in Erkenntnis, volume 69, number 1, →DOI

Origin

From deflation + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Japanese デフレ主義
  • デフレ主義theory that truth-predication does not attribute a substantive property
Cite this entry
APA

deflationism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deflationism

MLA

“deflationism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deflationism. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deflationism,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deflationism.

Source: deflationism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.