polytheistic

adjective

poly·​the·​is·​tic ˌpä-lē-thē-ˈi-stik How to pronounce polytheistic (audio)
variants or less commonly polytheistical
: of, relating to, or characterized by polytheism : believing in or worshiping multiple gods
They gravitate to ancient symbols and ancient myths, to the old polytheistic religions of the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Celts, and the Sumerians.Margot Adler
This view reflected the resurgence of Greco-Roman polytheistic concepts within Christianity …Norman F. Cantor

Examples of polytheistic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What made this possible is that most polytheistic systems are likely to enshrine the same basic qualities. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 Kaper, the Egyptologist, wonders how worshipers of local cults would have responded to the statues, noting that followers of polytheistic religions were generally welcoming of new faiths. Jo Marchant, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2024 Akhenaten had moved from a polytheistic system to one that discredited the other gods and instead placed the sun god Aten at the center of polite society. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2022 There is usually, in most even polytheistic beliefs, a central creator even though there may be a plethora of gods and lesser gods who follow on. David Chiu, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Rome has sheltered polytheistic pagans and monotheistic Jews, adherents of Middle Eastern cults, and, in more recent times, a sizable multinational Muslim community. David Laskin Martin Pauer, New York Times, 1 May 2023 These vampires described themselves as atheistic, monotheistic or polytheistic. John Edgar Browning, Discover Magazine, 13 Oct. 2022 After her death, Tutankhamun took over and reversed his father’s policies, moving back to a polytheistic religion. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2022 This absolutism perplexed the polytheistic Japanese. Hiroko Yoda, The New Yorker, 26 July 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of polytheistic was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near polytheistic

Cite this Entry

“Polytheistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polytheistic. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!