relativism
noun
rel·a·tiv·ism
ˈre-lə-ti-ˌvi-zəm 
1
a
: a theory that knowledge is relative to the limited nature of the mind and the conditions of knowing
b
: a view that ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them
2
Examples of relativism in a Sentence
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Why balance beats either/or Traditional approaches to cross-cultural leadership tend to fall into two camps: universalism (everyone should align to one way of doing things) or relativism (let each group do things their own way).
—
Iese Business School, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Not hedging, not relativism, and certainly not silence.
—Larry Hogan, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2025
Benedict harshly criticized relativism in the Catholic faith, an emerging trend where nothing was considered a definitive source of religious truth.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
To attribute the corrosion of institutional trust to such bugbears as relativism or postmodernism is to ignore explanations that are both more concrete and more parsimonious.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relativism
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Iese Business School, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Not hedging, not relativism, and certainly not silence.
—Larry Hogan, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2025
Benedict harshly criticized relativism in the Catholic faith, an emerging trend where nothing was considered a definitive source of religious truth.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
To attribute the corrosion of institutional trust to such bugbears as relativism or postmodernism is to ignore explanations that are both more concrete and more parsimonious.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relativism
Cite this Entry
“Relativism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relativism. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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