Dictionary
perfectionism
noun per·fec·tion·ism \-shə-ˌni-zəm\
Definition of PERFECTIONISM
1
a : the doctrine that the perfection of moral character constitutes a person's highest good b : the theological doctrine that a state of freedom from sin is attainable on earth
2
: a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable
— per·fec·tion·ist \-sh(ə-)nist\ noun or adjective
— per·fec·tion·is·tic \-ˌfek-shə-ˈnis-tik\ adjective
ADVERTISEMENT
First Known Use of PERFECTIONISM
circa 1846
Rhymes with PERFECTIONISM
absenteeism, absolutism, abstractionism, adventurism, aestheticism, Afrocentrism, agnosticism, alcoholism, amateurism, anabaptism, anachronism, Anglicanism, animalism, antagonism, Arianism, astigmatism, athleticism, automatism, behaviorism, Big Brotherism, bilingualism, Bonapartism, cannibalism, capitalism, Cartesianism, Catholicism, charlatanism, collectivism, commercialism, communalism, Confucianism, conservatism, constructivism, consumerism, corporatism, creationism, determinism, do-nothingism, eclecticism, ecotourism, ecumenism, egocentrism, empiricism, epicurism, eroticism, essentialism, ethnocentrism, evangelism, exoticism, expansionism, expressionism, Fabianism, factionalism, fanaticism, favoritism, federalism, Fenianism, feuilletonism, Fourierism, fraternalism, Freudianism, funambulism, functionalism, hermeticism, Hispanicism, historicism, hooliganism, illiberalism, illusionism, impressionism, infantilism, inflationism, initialism, insularism, irredentism, Jacobinism, Keynesianism, know-nothingism, lesbianism, liberalism, libertinism, literalism, Lutheranism, Lysenkoism, magic realism, malapropism, mercantilism, messianism, metabolism, metamorphism, militarism, minimalism, monasticism, monotheism, mutualism, naturalism, Naziritism, negativism, neologism, neo-Nazism, neorealism, nominalism, nonconformism, objectivism, obscurantism, obstructionism, opportunism, pacificism, parallelism, pastoralism, paternalism, patriotism, Peeping Tomism, photo-realism, plebeianism, polytheism, positivism, postmodernism, primitivism, progressivism, protectionism, Protestantism, provincialism, puritanism, radicalism, rationalism, recidivism, reductionism, regionalism, relativism, revisionism, revivalism, ritualism, romanticism, salvationism, sansculottism, scholasticism, sectionalism, secularism, separatism, serialism, Slavophilism, somnambulism, Stakhanovism, structuralism, subjectivism, teetotalism, theocentrism, triumphalism, Uncle Tomism, ventriloquism, vigilantism, workaholism
Medical Dictionary
perfectionism
noun per·fec·tion·ism \pər-ˈfek-shə-ˌniz-əm\
Medical Definition of PERFECTIONISM
: a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable; especially : the setting of unrealistically demanding goals accompanied by a disposition to regard failure to achieve them as unacceptable and a sign of personal worthlessness
Learn More About PERFECTIONISM
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: perfectionizePrevious Word in the Dictionary: perfectionateAll Words Near: perfectionism
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up perfectionism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).