ab·so·lut·ism

(ăb′sə-lo͞o′tĭz′əm)

a. A political theory holding that all power should be vested in one ruler or other authority.

b. A form of government in which all power is vested in a single ruler or other authority.

2. An absolute doctrine, principle, or standard.

ab′so·lut′ist n.

ab′so·lu·tis′tic (-lo͞o-tĭs′tĭk) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

absolutism

(ˈæbsəluːˌtɪzəm)

1. the principle or practice of a political system in which unrestricted power is vested in a monarch, dictator, etc; despotism

2. (Philosophy) philosophy

a. any theory which holds that truth or moral or aesthetic value is absolute and universal and not relative to individual or social differences. Compare relativism

b. the doctrine that reality is unitary and unchanging and that change and diversity are mere illusion. See also monism², pluralism^5b

3. (Theology) Christianity an uncompromising form of the doctrine of predestination

ˈabsoˌlutist n, adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ab•so•lut•ism

(ˈæb sə luˌtɪz əm)

n.

1. the principle or the exercise of unrestricted power in government.

2. any theory holding that values, principles, etc., are absolute and not relative, dependent, or changeable.

[1745–55]

ab′so•lut`ist, n., adj.

ab`so•lu•tis′tic, adj.

absolutism

the theory and exercise of complete and unrestricted power in government. See also autarchy, autocracy, despotism, dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy. — absolutist, n., adj. — absolutistic. adj.

absolutism

A political theory that all power should be in the hands of a single ruler.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	absolutism - dominance through threat of punishment and violence despotism, tyranny ascendance, ascendancy, ascendence, ascendency, dominance, control - the state that exists when one person or group has power over another; "her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her"
	2.	absolutism - a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) dictatorship, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny, authoritarianism, Caesarism, despotism autocracy, autarchy - a political system governed by a single individual police state - a country that maintains repressive control over the people by means of police (especially secret police)
	3.	absolutism - the principle of complete and unrestricted power in government totalism, totalitarianism ideology, political orientation, political theory - an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation
	4.	absolutism - the doctrine of an absolute being doctrine, ism, philosophical system, philosophy, school of thought - a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school

absolutism

noun dictatorship, tyranny, totalitarianism, authoritarianism, despotism, autocracy, arbitrariness, absolute rule, absoluteness, autarchy the triumphal reassertion of royal absolutism

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

absolutism

noun

1. A political doctrine advocating the principle of absolute rule:

authoritarianism, autocracy, despotism, dictatorship, totalitarianism.

2. A government in which a single leader or party exercises absolute control over all citizens and every aspect of their lives:

autarchy, autocracy, despotism, dictatorship, monocracy, tyranny.

Translations

Absolutismus

absolutismo

absolutisme

apsolutizam

assolutismo dispotismo

absolutismeenevelde

absolutyzm

абсолютизм

absolutism

[ˈæbsəluːtɪzəm] N → absolutismo m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

absolutism

[ˌæbsəˈluːtɪzəm] n

(political system) → absolutisme m

(absolutist way of thinking) → absolutisme m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

absolutism

n → Absolutismus m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

absolutism

[ˈæbsəluːˌtɪzm] n (Pol) → assolutismo

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Writing for success on the Elizabethan stage, he seldom attempted to reduce its romantic licenses to the perfection of an absolute standard. 'Romeo and Juliet, 'Hamlet,' and indeed most of his plays, contain unnecessary scenes, interesting to the Elizabethans, which Sophocles as well as Racine would have pruned away.

View in context

are some B&Bs but instability that's not a " She added: "That's reassuring for somebody new coming in: that there's already an established absolute standard. We certainly wouldn't give anyone a tent.

No tents or B&B spots for kids in care, says council

It simply changes the burden of defense from the current unreasonable absolute standard to the widely-accepted negligence standard.

Safe Place To Work Should Be First In Reform

When judged against the absolute standard of delivering growing prosperity to citizens, these countries now need to think a lot harder about developing deeper domestic engines of economic growth and more efficient internal financial intermediation.

Asia could be better off on its own

Quality of education is, therefore, a relative rather than an absolute standard. However, quality of education is determined by complex factors or forces in the internal and external environment of educational institutions.

Basic Issues In Education

Is there some absolute standard for what qualifies a particular race as "real?" As of this writing, I've been racing for 32 years and have competed in 242 triathlons and duathlons, and I don't think there is any such standard.

What is a "real" race experience?

With additional absolute standard uncertainty component uncertainty of data combining (bigger vertical fuel tanks must be scanned from 4-5 different points) and error of zero point coordinates measurement, must be estimated and is equal [+ or -]0.02% [V.sub.H]

New approach to calibration of vertical fuel tanks

"To our civil servants and agents who perform their duties as authorised representatives in our territories, we issue the following edict: 'They must deal with the Jewish residents of our territories according to the absolute standard of justice established by God.

The rights of non-Muslims in Islam (Part III)

Then, in the late 1930s, as our significantly underpopulated middle class began to grow, AKC introduced non-competitive obedience trials, in which all titles were earned not competitively, but by measurement against an absolute standard.

Crossover considerations: hunt test changes can make sense

From the dark lady, whose eyes look nothing like the sun, to Portia's 'severed lips,' to Cleopatra's 'wrinkled' complexion, to Imogen's birthmark, Shakespeare's creations are remarkable not for their unmarked approximation of any absolute standard, but for their marked individuality.

Stephen Greenblatt, Shakespeare's Freedom

For some purposes, evaluators might need to compare or rank teachers' performances against one another; for other purposes, they might need to compare a teacher's performance against an absolute standard. In assessing a teacher's contribution to student learning, for example, an evaluator might hold samples of student work to an absolute standard, then judge whether each teacher has met the standard.

Measuring what matters

Such an absolute standard cannot be accounted for by materialism alone.

A Case for the Existence of God