as in paganism
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Recent Examples of polytheism
Although Americans are rarely asked to weigh in on polytheism, surveys consistently show that not believing in God is among the biggest political liabilities—more electorally costly than being gay, Black, Jewish, Muslim, or female.
—
Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
The opera ends with Akhnaten’s son, presumably Tutankhamun, restoring polytheism, and then, once the staging jumps millennia into the future, it’s rediscovered by modern-day tourists.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Nefertiti was the principal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, the ruler who upended Egypt's religious customs away from polytheism and toward Atenism.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Western antiquity Christianity was shaped by its roots in Judaism, but also its rejection of Greco-Roman religious culture, especially its polytheism.
—Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 20 Jan. 2026
The Pope's polytheism places him among the people of Hell.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Religious history Fascinating finds related to religious history tell a story of diverse belief systems from the polytheism of the ancient Greeks and Romans to Buddhism and Christianity.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
Also, Akhenaten’s successor tried to steer religion back to polytheism, which is contrary to Nefertiti’s earlier views.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2024
Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
The opera ends with Akhnaten’s son, presumably Tutankhamun, restoring polytheism, and then, once the staging jumps millennia into the future, it’s rediscovered by modern-day tourists.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Nefertiti was the principal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, the ruler who upended Egypt's religious customs away from polytheism and toward Atenism.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Western antiquity Christianity was shaped by its roots in Judaism, but also its rejection of Greco-Roman religious culture, especially its polytheism.
—Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 20 Jan. 2026
The Pope's polytheism places him among the people of Hell.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Religious history Fascinating finds related to religious history tell a story of diverse belief systems from the polytheism of the ancient Greeks and Romans to Buddhism and Christianity.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
Also, Akhenaten’s successor tried to steer religion back to polytheism, which is contrary to Nefertiti’s earlier views.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polytheism
Noun
-
Some of the earliest information about Khanty religious traditions comes from Russian priests who sent their reports to the archbishop of Siberia to alert him to the problem of continued paganism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Sitting atop one of the seven hills overlooking the city, the site is like an archaeological mosaic where fragments of paganism, Christianity and Islam from different eras and empires coexist.—
NPR,
NPR,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For all its moral and political weight, monotheism is surprisingly hard to pin down.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Stasevska was born in 1984, the same year that Glass’ hypnotic, ritualistic opera, about an Egyptian pharaoh who dared to push monotheism onto his polytheistic culture, debuted in Stuttgart, Germany.—
Tim Greiving,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In 1809, Friedrich’s budding pantheism landed him in hot water.—
Zachary Fine,
The New Yorker,
28 June 2024
-
If anyone is wondering, stoicism and pantheism are my preferred lenses through to view the world.—
Christa Allen,
Allure,
28 May 2021
Noun
-
Denise Long Rife spends her days as a retiree rather quietly, reading theology books in her Kansas home.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Women-only programs include administrative assistant, missionary wife, and general studies in the department of Bible, while the men-only alternatives are missions, youth ministry, and pastoral theology.—
Olivia Empson,
Vanity Fair,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Chinese Communists aren’t trying to extirpate every last trace of theism, thereby inviting the undivided opposition of religious believers and institutions (as the Soviets did with regard to John Paul II’s Vatican).—
Cameron Hilditch,
National Review,
21 Feb. 2021
-
Thoreau moves fluidly between the two, shuttling between the divine and the here-and-now, between theism and materialism.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
13 July 2017
Noun
-
The archbishop was referring to the Catholic Church’s doctrine on when Christians can participate in and support a war.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Apr. 2026
-
God gives believers the Holy Spirit for discernment and the authority of Scripture for testing doctrine.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This vague gesture in the direction of deism has no antecedent in the book, no moral or theological trajectory to make Bambi’s insight meaningful or satisfying.—
Kathryn Schulz,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2022
-
Those intuitions usually commended a staid deism and scorn for those whose beliefs extended any further.—
Jeffrey Collins,
WSJ,
12 Mar. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Polytheism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polytheism. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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