How to Use paganism in a Sentence

paganism

noun
  • He is a practitioner of Paganism.
  • Of course, the analogy between paganism and Hinduism is not very strong.
    — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012
  • The time where the show takes place is at the breaking point of paganism right where Christianity is coming in.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 4 Apr. 2022
  • And while 90 percent of all ancient literature has been lost, paganism still had a foothold on the streets.
    — Bettany Hughes, New York Times, 8 June 2018
  • And even if paganism isn’t your thing, there’s at least one thing to celebrate in the Northern Hemisphere.
    — Brian Resnick, Vox, 20 Dec. 2018
  • That comes from Norse mythology, a form of paganism that has been co-opted by white supremacists.
    — Casey Parks, OregonLive.com, 13 June 2017
  • Learn about the glacier’s unique magnetic field, which serves as a pilgrimage site for mystics and others who practice Norse paganism.
    — National Geographic, 12 June 2019
  • Black metal lyrics often espouse Satanism and paganism, and a few bands feature neo-Nazi beliefs.
    — Melinda Deslatte, The Seattle Times, 14 Apr. 2019
  • Modern trans coven leaders are rekindling this charge, fighting transphobia in paganism, and creating covens and magic all on their own.
    — Emma Cieslik, Them, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Kyivans spoke a Slavic language that had no writing system, and practiced a paganism without idols or temples.
    — Timothy Snyder, The New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2022
  • Followers of paganism don special attire and flower garlands, which are believed to repel evil spirits, hold special rituals and start bonfires.
    — Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 21 June 2022
  • There are anywhere from 1 million to 2 million people practicing paganism in the United States.
    — Helen A. Berger, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2020
  • Her collections flowed from a place which talked poetically about nature, female stories, ancient legends, paganism, and gardens.
    — Sarah Mower, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2023
  • Wicca is one of the most popular forms of contemporary paganism, a set of religions whose practices are inspired by pre-Christian religions.
    — Helen A. Berger, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2021
  • Shortly after the bishop was arrested for his miracles and, after refusing to convert to paganism, beheaded.
    — Simon Maina, National Geographic, 12 Feb. 2020
  • Books on mystical topics — paganism, witchcraft, dreams, crystals, past life regression, runes — are sold, as well as journals to record mystical experiments.
    — Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2022
  • Promising themes begin to take shape around the third episode, like the tension between traditional paganism and newfangled Christianity, or the weight of destiny.
    — Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Our lessons leapt from rare mentions of Lakota rituals to astrology to paganism to Toltec beliefs, giving me the feeling of having been plunged into a self-help soup.
    — Sierra Crane Murdoch, Harper's Magazine, 3 May 2023
  • On her podcasts, Karamo suggests paganism and non-Christian beliefs are responsible for cultural decadence.
    — Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 5 Nov. 2022
  • While the holiday is rooted in paganism, many people who participate in maypole dances don't identify as pagan, according to Berger.
    — Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 1 May 2024
  • Most 18th and 19th-century Americans thought the tradition was odd though, and to some it was even taken to be a representation of paganism.
    — Nicol Natale, Woman's Day, 15 Nov. 2018
  • Halloween's roots can be traced back to paganism or early Christianity, but in contemporary America, the fright fest serves as an annual cause for debauchery.
    — Marjua Estevez, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2017
  • The reality is that early Christianity and late Greco-Roman paganism were simmered in the same cultural stew.
    — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 Dec. 2011
  • Around that same time, Mount Athos saw the arrival of Slavic monks, recently converted from paganism, who became an important presence on the peninsula and remain so today.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
  • In all of these religions – which include Hellenic paganism, druidry and heathenism, among others – both the Earth and the spirits that are believed to reside in animate and inanimate objects are seen as sacred.
    — Helen A. Berger, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2021
  • Mention of it can be found in medieval chronicles of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, only a few generations after the Magyars converted from paganism to Christianity.
    — Jacob Mikanowski, Harper's magazine, 21 July 2019
  • In their telling of the King Roger story, the monarch’s open-mindedness is tested by the arrival of a charismatic young Shepherd who ideologically seduces him toward paganism.
    — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Nov. 2022
  • Religion experts say some of the same instincts Vance followed are also driving the growth of interest among younger people in general in gods and goddesses of paganism as well as saints, angels and demons and commemorations of the new moon.
    — Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
  • Arguably both Zoroastrianism and Hinduism derive from Indo-European paganism, the former as a negation, the latter as an evolution.
    — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
  • 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, 26 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paganism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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