axiom

[ ak-see-uhm ]
See synonyms for axiom on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a self-evident truth that requires no proof.

  2. a universally accepted principle or rule.

  1. Logic, Mathematics. a proposition that is assumed without proof for the sake of studying the consequences that follow from it.

Origin of axiom

1
First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin axiōma, from Greek: “something worthy,” equivalent to axiō-, variant stem of axioûn “to reckon worthy” + -ma, noun suffix

Words that may be confused with axiom

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use axiom in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for axiom

axiom

/ (ˈæksɪəm) /


noun
  1. a generally accepted proposition or principle, sanctioned by experience; maxim

  2. a universally established principle or law that is not a necessary truth: the axioms of politics

  1. a self-evident statement

  2. logic maths a statement or formula that is stipulated to be true for the purpose of a chain of reasoning: the foundation of a formal deductive system: Compare assumption (def. 4)

Origin of axiom

1
C15: from Latin axiōma a principle, from Greek, from axioun to consider worthy, from axios worthy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for axiom

axiom

[ ăksē-əm ]


  1. A principle that is accepted as true without proof. The statement “For every two points P and Q there is a unique line that contains both P and Q” is an axiom because no other information is given about points or lines, and therefore it cannot be proven. Also called postulate

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for axiom

axiom

[ (ak-see-uhm) ]


In mathematics, a statement that is unproved but accepted as a basis for other statements, usually because it seems so obvious.

Notes for axiom

The term axiomatic is used generally to refer to a statement so obvious that it needs no proof.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.