meliorism

[ meel-yuh-riz-uh m, mee-lee-uh- ]
/ ˈmil yəˌrɪz əm, ˈmi li ə- /

noun

the doctrine that the world tends to become better or may be made better by human effort.

Origin of meliorism

1855–60; < Latin melior better + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM meliorism

mel·io·rist, noun, adjective mel·io·ris·tic, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for meliorism

British Dictionary definitions for meliorism

meliorism
/ (ˈmiːlɪəˌrɪzəm) /

noun

the notion that the world can be improved by human effort

Derived forms of meliorism

meliorist, adjective, noun melioristic, adjective

Word Origin for meliorism

C19: from Latin melior better