polytheism

[pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm, pol-ee-thee-iz-uhm]

noun

1. the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods.

polytheism

/ ˈpɒlɪθiːˌɪzəm, ˌpɒlɪˈθiːɪzəm /

noun

1. the worship of or belief in more than one god

polytheism

1. The belief in more than one god. The ancient Greeks, for example, were polytheists; their gods included Apollo, Athena, Dionysus, and Zeus. (Compare monotheism.)

Other Word Forms

• polytheistic adjective
• polytheist noun
• polytheistically adverb
• polytheistical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polytheism¹

1605–15; poly- + theism; compare French polythéisme

Example Sentences

Moses' motive, Freud hypothesized, was to preserve a sect of the ancient Egyptian religion which rejected polytheism and only worshipped the sun god, Aten.

From Salon

“That feels like it’s really specific to L.A. as a cosmopolitan city. Greek polytheism is all about the ability to absorb other gods, and there is an inherent cultural exchange that’s a part of that.”

From Los Angeles Times

By Gray’s account, they ignore polytheism and animism almost entirely, while insisting on reading verses of Genesis or lines of the Nicene Creed as if they were primitive scientific theories.

From The New Yorker

Another wrote that the "mementoes" are a "means of leading people to polytheism", along with a photograph of one of the statues.

From BBC

Veneration of objects or idols, and hints to polytheism, run in conflict with the Wahhabis strain of Islam that is growing in popularity in Java.

From BBC

Related Words

• tritheism