Meanings
plural nominalisms
- countableuncountablehuman sciencesA doctrine that universals do not have an existence except as names for classes of concrete objects.
Blumenberg's thesis, which has since been reiterated by a number of philosophers and historians, is that nominalism, as it became widespread in Protestant theology, led to the Enlightenment, disenchantment, and the scientific revolution.
2021, Meghan O'Gieblyn, chapter 11, in God, Human, Animal, Machine […] , →ISBNAntonyms: realism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA doctrine that universals do not have an existence except as names for classes of concrete objects.
Origin
- Frenchnominalisme
- Englishnominalism
From French nominalisme. By surface analysis, nominal + -ism.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِسْمِيَّة
- اِسْمِيَّة (ismiyya)doctrine
Chinese Mandarin 唯名論 /唯名论
- 唯名論 /唯名论 (wéimínglùn)doctrine
Czech nominalismus
- nominalismusdoctrine
Finnish nominalismi
- nominalismidoctrine
Greek ονοματοκρατία, νομιναλισμός
- ονοματοκρατία (onomatokratía)doctrine
- νομιναλισμός (nominalismós)doctrine
Irish ainmníochas
- ainmníochasdoctrine
Japanese 唯名論
- 唯名論doctrine
Polish nominalizm
- nominalizmdoctrine
Portuguese nominalismo
- nominalismodoctrine
Russian номинализм
- номинализм (nominalizm)doctrine
Spanish nominalismo
- nominalismodoctrine
Swedish nominalism
- nominalismdoctrine
Turkish adcılık
- adcılıkdoctrine
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
nominalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nominalism
“nominalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nominalism. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nominalism,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nominalism.
Source: nominalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.