Epicureanism

/ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm/

//ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm// noun

"epicureanism" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Epicureanism” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good, particularly as advocated by Epicurus with a focus on mental pleasures and on avoidance of pain (ataraxia) through moderation and common ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-epicureanism · Epicureanism · English

Epicureanism · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Epicureanism
PropertyValue
HeadwordEpicureanism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Epicureanism” in English

Epicureanismsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Epicureanism is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Epicureanism doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Epicurean + -ism. As a pejorative synonym of atheism, both from the philosophy's rejection of deontological morality and from Epicurus's specific belief that the Greek gods—if they did exist—did not concern themselves at all with mankind, its actions, … The correct English form is Epicureanism, spelled E-P-I-C-U-R-E-A-N-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good, particularly as advocated by Epicurus with a focus on mental pleasures and on avoidance of pain (ataraxia) through moderation and common virtue.
  2. 2
    Synonym of hedonism, general pursuit of pleasure, particularly refined and knowledgeable enjoyment of good food, drink, and similar sensual pleasures.
  3. 3
    Synonym of atheism.

Etymology

From Epicurean + -ism. As a pejorative synonym of atheism, both from the philosophy's rejection of deontological morality and from Epicurus's specific belief that the Greek gods—if they did exist—did not concern themselves at all with mankind, its actions, or any system of reward or punishment for them. Doublet of epicurism.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Epicureanism"?
"Epicureanism" is spelled E-P-I-C-U-R-E-A-N-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm/.
What does "Epicureanism" mean?
As a noun, "Epicureanism" means: The philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good, particularly as advocated by Epicurus with a focus on mental pleasures and on avoidance of pain (ataraxia) through moderation and common ...
How do you pronounce "Epicureanism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Epicureanism" is /ˌɛpɪˈkju(ə)ɹiənɪzəm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Epicureanism"?
From Epicurean + -ism. As a pejorative synonym of atheism, both from the philosophy's rejection of deontological morality and from Epicurus's specific belief that the Greek gods—if they did exist—did not concern themselves at all with mankind, its... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list