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mysticism

mysticism

5 9.3
Unclear ideas not based on reason or evidence
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪstɪˌsɪzəm/
translation icon : misticismo
  • For the last half of the 20th century, UFO researchers, demonologists, psychics, all that, there was a mysticism to it.

We were all much more, There was more mysticism in all of it, which is the cool shit.

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Examples

  • Won't be long before men rise up and shed the yoke of mysticism and tyranny.

  • Rejecting the rationalism of Winters and the mysticism of Munson, Crane remained dedicated to poetry as a discipline sufficient unto itself.

    Academic text (1997)
  • How long would that mysticism of suffering survive the liberation?

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Or will the dark mysticism of this Southern swampland get the better of them?

  • Why couldn't people keep their mysticism to themselves?

    Fiction book (2000)
  • So how does science gurgle up under the forces of mysticism and miracles and magic of the time?

  • Some are suspicious of what they regard as sneaking mysticism into humanism through the back door by invoking the "spiritual" language of some scientists.

    Academic text (2007)
  • To allow emotive aspects into moral theory is to descend into an abyss of irrationality and mysticism.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Devoid of esotericism and mysticism, the movement rejects the idea of sainthood and condemns the building of shrines and holy places.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Many people find solace in mysticism as they explore the unknown aspects of life that science cannot explain.

Synonyms

irrationality
vsmysticism
12 6.2

A lack of clear, logical thinking

is obscure thinking with beliefs hard to explain rationally
oddity
vsmysticism
12 5.9

An unusual habit, quality, or way of thinking

is specifically obscure irrational belief rather than simple strangeness
esotericism
vsmysticism
  • Formal
1 9.9

Secret or special knowledge and ways of doing things that only a small group understands

is irrational obscure thinking rather than just secret specialized ideas
irrationalism
vsmysticism
  • Formal
1 8.2

A belief that feelings, faith, or the unconscious mind matter more than logic

leans toward obscure or hard to explain beliefs rather than logic
superstitiousness
vsmysticism
1 8.3

Believing that certain actions, signs, or objects can change what will happen

focuses on obscure or unexplained ideas rather than ritual causes
crankery
vsmysticism
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Strange, unscientific ideas and behaviour that ignore facts

is obscure or hard to explain rather than merely odd or foolish
superstitious notion
vsmysticism
7.0

An untrue belief about luck or danger that people accept without proof

is obscure thinking that is broader than a single fearful belief

Antonyms

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

34 5.4

Clear thinking and decisions based on facts and logic

Compounds

A spiritual practice that seeks a direct personal experience of God or the sacred

How Irrational

fanaticism
16 7.4
mysticism
5 9.3
superstition
83 5.6
folly
59 7.3
misconception
75 4.2

Surface Forms

mysticism singular
mysticisms plural

Morphology

mysticism = mystic (semi-transparent) = mystic + ism

Derives from 'mystic' + '-ism' but the sense 'obscure or irrational thinking' is a pejorative or extended meaning not transparently predictable from the base.

Etymology

Mysticism keeps the idea of 'hidden' from mystery. A helpful way to remember this second meaning is that people sometimes call ideas 'mysticism' when they seem unclear or hard to prove, meaning they are 'not logical'.