maximalism means the opposite of minimalism: a tendency toward excess. It carries an Arena rating of 1411, earned across 38 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, maximalism ranks #1,395 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,141 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,768 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #7,264 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “maximalism” is a great word
MAXIMALISM — [Noun] An aesthetic or ideological tendency favoring radical abundance, ornamental complexity, and the pursuit of the fullest possible extent, intensity, or quantity. From maximal (from Latin maximus, “greatest”) + the suffix -ism, formed by analogy with minimalism. Unlike minimalism, which pares down to an austere essence, or moderation, which seeks a cautious middle ground, maximalism is an exuberant, unapologetic embrace of the “more.” It is a Victorian parlour dense with patterned wallpaper, curios, and tasselled drapery; a Wagnerian opera demanding immense resources; a political manifesto of uncompromising utopian demands—a defiant celebration that meaning is found in joyous, overwhelming accretion.
Etymology
From maximal + -ism, by analogy with minimalism.
noun
- The opposite of minimalism: a tendency toward excess.e.g.“With its romantic harmonies out of Berlioz, the 4½-hour “Einstein” score marked a passage out of Minimalism into a new genre that John Rockwell dubbed “Maximalism.”” — [1981 October 25, Robert Coe, “Philip Glass Breaks Through”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- An ideology favoring radical or aggressive action to achieve expansive goals; the stance of maximalists.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.