Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An advocate of despotism, or of absolute government. In metaphysics, one who maintains that there is an absolute or non-relative existence, and that it is possible to know or conceive it.
- Of or pertaining to absolutism; despotic; absolutistic.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to absolutism; arbitrary; despotic.
- noun One who is in favor of an absolute or autocratic government.
- noun (Metaph.) One who believes that it is possible to realize a cognition or concept of
the absolute .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun one who advocates absolutism
- adjective pertaining to the principle of totalitarianism
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Yet the wording of the amendment did not change when its scope changed; it is still written in absolutist terms.
The Volokh Conspiracy » First Amendment Exceptions and History 2010
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Not long ago, a close comrade of mine was dining with a person who I can't identify beyond telling you that his father is a long-term absolutist ruler of an Arab Muslim state.
Slate Magazine Christopher Hitchens 2011
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I also think he has his share of issues (far less than Bush’s issues mind you), as I, unlike you, do not see the world in absolutist’s shades of black and white, but in a million different colors … (this means I have no heros, idols or unrealistic expectations from anyone).
Think Progress » Zakaria: Rumsfeld ‘Seems In A Parallel Universe and Slightly Deranged’ 2006
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He is a First Amendment absolutist, which is to say that he follows the Constitution.
Village Voice Drops Nat Hentoff, Bill of Rights Journalist 2009
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They must be absolutist, that is, about instituting a non-absolutist state.
Chris Meserole: The Strange Justice of Alberto Gonzales 2008
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"She's an absolutist, which is a great strength," said her friend Michael Pollan, author of
columbiatribune.com stories By SCOTT KRAFT Los Angeles Times 2010
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After all, the idea of absolutist tolerance exists for purposes beyond mediating athletic rivalries among coworkers and arbitrating those heated debates as to whether chocolate or vanilla is the better flavor of ice cream.
Blogger News Network 2009
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For all of the Founding Fathers 'wisdom, for the blessings of the Decelaration of Indpenedence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, they were at the end of the day lawless revolutionaries fighting against the God-ordained government of their rightful King (this should not be taken as support for the idea of absolutist monarchy or the divine right of kings since a non-monarchical government would have the same' divine 'foundation, as does our Republic today; the State legislatures were also not empowered to act on behalf of their citizens in any way that outweighed the rights of the centralized monarchy at that time).
orrologion 2008
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This is the kind of absolutist logic that makes the discussion about abortion over before it starts.
Some Choices 2009
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In fact, it was practised with great effect by Barack Obama during his presidential campaign - helping convince even conservative 'absolutist' voters to embrace a very 'systemic' concept of Change.
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