Word of the Day

Presentism


Listen Later

Presentism is an attitude toward the past dominated by present-day beliefs. 

A recent addition to the English language, presentism emerged in the late 20th century to describe a tendency to view the past through the lens of current conventions. It combines the word ‘present,’ a word of Middle English origin with the suffix I-S-M, which denotes a distinctive practice or philosophy. Here’s an example of presentism in use:-

All the presentism in history class made it difficult to truly understand things from the point of view of ancient civilizations. I wish we could have just ditched our current way of viewing things. 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Word of the DayBy Word of the Day

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

20 ratings


More shows like Word of the Day

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,715 Listeners

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

1,197 Listeners