atomism

1. 1.

   (psychology) a theory that reduces all mental phenomena to simple elements (sensations and feelings) that form complex ideas by association

   Broaderscientific theory

   psychology

2. 2.

   (chemistry) any theory in which all matter is composed of tiny discrete finite indivisible indestructible particles

   “the ancient Greek philosophers Democritus and Epicurus held atomic theories of the universe”

   Synonymsatomic theoryatomist theoryatomistic theory

   Antonymsholism

   Broadertheory

   chemistry

Other forms of atomism

plural

atomisms·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about atomism

What does atomism mean?

atomism means "(psychology) a theory that reduces all mental phenomena to simple elements (sensations and feelings) that form complex ideas by association". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in atomism?

atomism has 3 syllables: a-to-mism. The stress falls on "a".

What is another word for atomism?

Close synonyms include atomic theory, atomist theory, atomistic theory. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of atomism?

The recorded antonyms are holism.

Is atomism a common word?

atomism is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.