hobbesian
/ˈhɑb.zi.ən/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.70 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of, relating to, or influenced by Thomas Hobbes or his philosophical theories.
adj
Involving unrestrained, selfish, and uncivilized competition.
Example Sentences
- "a Hobbesian theory of the state"
- "a cutthroat, Hobbesian environment"
- "In Hammett's writings, the social is constructed as a vast Hobbesian landscape of grim functionaries and desperate scrabblers […]"
- "Yet the focus on pushing for the best result has also fueled what current and former Uber employees describe as a Hobbesian environment at the company, in which workers are sometimes pitted against one another and where a blind eye is turned to infractions from top performers."
- "Hobbesians purport to describe social order as it is: a constant, iron-fisted effort to crush enemies and to incapacitate criminals."
Etymology
From Hobbes (a surname) + -ian, referring to the 17th century English author Thomas Hobbes; whose best-known work, Leviathan, describes the state of nature in terms of unrestrained, selfish, and uncivilized competition.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhɑb.zi.ən/
- British English: /ˈhɒb.zi.ən/
Inflected Forms
more Hobbesian (comparative)
most Hobbesian (superlative)
Hobbian (alternative)
Hobbsian (alternative)
Hobbesians (plural)