creationism

noun

cre·​a·​tion·​ism krē-ˈā-shə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce creationism (audio)
: a doctrine or theory holding that matter, the various forms of life, and the world were created by God out of nothing and usually in the way described in Genesis
Once again, science and religion collided last week. This time the battleground was the U.S. Supreme Court, where the Justices decreed that a Louisiana law requiring that creationism be taught along with evolution in the public schools was unconstitutional.Alain L. Sanders
creationist noun or adjective

Examples of creationism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Its leaders—Dawkins, along with Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett—worried that public-school students would soon be learning creationism in biology class. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2024 As of this year, according to World Population Review, 17 of our 50 states teach creationism alongside evolution in science classes, effectively equating the dimensions of faith and fact. Lisa Grunwald, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024 One of them is in West Virginia, where the state Senate has approved a bill that would allow teachers to tell students that the Universe is the result of intelligent design, an idea that was developed to avoid prohibitions on teaching creationism. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2023 So systematic processing is crucial for contentious topics like creationism and evolution. Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2012 See all Example Sentences for creationism 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'creationism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

creation + -ism

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of creationism was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near creationism

Cite this Entry

“Creationism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creationism. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

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