pacifism

C2+ Topic:War & Conflict

US /ˈpæsɪfɪzəm/ UK /ˈpæsɪfɪzəm/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the belief that disputes should be settled without violence or war

Her pacifism led her to refuse military service on moral grounds.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the belief that disputes... nonviolenceantimilitarismpeacedovishness

Opposites

militarismbellicositywarmongeringhawkishness

Word family

Derived forms pacifist pacifistic

Related forms pacify pacific pacification

Etymology

Coined in French as pacifisme (1901, Émile Arnaud), from Latin pacificus 'peacemaking', from pax (genitive pacis) 'peace' + facere 'to make', plus the suffix -ism.

pacificus Latin pax Latin facere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

War & Conflict Word Formation & Derivatives

# pacifism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈpæsɪfɪzəm
**IPA (UK):** ˈpæsɪfɪzəm

## Meanings
1. the belief that disputes should be settled without violence or war

## Examples
- Her pacifism led her to refuse military service on moral grounds.

## Synonyms
- nonviolence
- antimilitarism
- peace
- dovishness

## Antonyms
- militarism
- bellicosity
- warmongering
- hawkishness

## Derived Forms
- pacifist
- pacifistic

## Related Forms
- pacify
- pacific
- pacification

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pacificus
- Root: pax
- Root: facere

## Etymology
Coined in French as pacifisme (1901, Émile Arnaud), from Latin pacificus 'peacemaking', from pax (genitive pacis) 'peace' + facere 'to make', plus the suffix -ism.

## AI Etymology
Pacifism is coined in French as pacifisme (1901, Émile Arnaud), from Latin pacificus 'peacemaking', from pax (genitive pacis) 'peace' + facere 'to make', plus the suffix -ism. Important recorded forms include pacificus (Latin), pax (Latin), and facere (Latin). Morphologically, the word preserves a built structure whose named elements carry the historical sense into English. The modern sense remains close to that composition, with the parts narrowing into a single lexical item. In current use it covers the belief that disputes should be settled without violence or war. The wider family includes derived forms such as pacifist and pacifistic and related words such as pacify, pacific, and pacification.

## Topics
- War & Conflict
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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pacifism

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