cosmicism · noun — the literary philosophy developed by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft, stating that there is no recognizable divine presence, such as God, in the universe, and that humans are particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence. It carries an Arena rating of 1346, earned across 28 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cosmicism ranks #40 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words, #962 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #2,006 of 17,130 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,547 of 17,205 for The Improbable.
Why “cosmicism” is a great word
COSMICISM — [Noun] The philosophical and literary worldview, associated with H. P. Lovecraft, that emphasizes the utter insignificance of humanity within a vast, indifferent, and often terrifying cosmos. From cosmic (relating to the universe, from Greek kosmikos, from kosmos "order, world") + -ism (suffix forming nouns of action or of a system or principle). Unlike "nihilism" (which declares all human endeavor intrinsically worthless) or "cosmology" (the scientific study of the universe's structure), cosmicism is a visceral chill that seeps from the realization of scale. It is the vertigo of staring into a star-choked void with no answering gaze, the oceanic pressure of geologic time compressing a human lifetime to a flicker, and the silent dread of architecture built for entities that do not know we exist—a profound reorientation to the knowledge that the universe is not hostile, but heedless, and that is the greater terror.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From cosmic + -ism.
noun
- The literary philosophy developed by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft, stating that there is no recognizable divine presence, such as God, in the universe, and that humans are particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence.
- The scientific study of the cosmos.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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