| Library / English Dictionary |
ATOMISM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(chemistry) any theory in which all matter is composed of tiny discrete finite indivisible indestructible particles
Example:
the ancient Greek philosophers Democritus and Epicurus held atomic theories of the universe
Synonyms:
atomic theory; atomism; atomist theory; atomistic theory
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("atomism" is a kind of...):
theory (a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena)
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Antonym:
holism (the theory that the parts of any whole cannot exist and cannot be understood except in their relation to the whole)
Derivation:
atomistic; atomistical (divided into separate and often disparate elements)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(psychology) a theory that reduces all mental phenomena to simple elements (sensations and feelings) that form complex ideas by association
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("atomism" is a kind of...):
scientific theory (a theory that explains scientific observations)
Domain category:
psychological science; psychology (the science of mental life)
Derivation:
atomistic; atomistical (divided into separate and often disparate elements)
