eclecticism

noun

eclec·​ti·​cism i-ˈklek-tə-ˌsi-zəm 

e-

: the theory or practice of an eclectic method

Examples of eclecticism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Such eclecticism is baked into the novel, granted, and also in the circus itself. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025

My journey from the town of Prospero to the high peak called the Witch’s Nose was accompanied by a generic eclecticism. —Harold Goldberg, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

Her Los Angeles home still feels modern but with a touch of eclecticism. —Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025

If the American university survives the twenty-first century, that resilience will probably have to do not just with rules and standards but with a certain magic flexibility and eclecticism being upheld. —Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

eclectic entry 1 + -ism

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for eclecticism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism

Medical Definition

eclecticism

noun

eclec·​ti·​cism -ˈklek-tə-ˌsiz-əm 

1

: a theory or practice (as of medicine or psychotherapy) that combines doctrines or methods (as therapeutic procedures) from diverse sources

2

: a system of medicine once popular in the United States that depended on plant remedies