contractarianism. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

contractarianism

SYLLABICATION:	con·trac·tar·i·an·ism
PRONUNCIATION:	kntrk-târ--nzm
NOUN:	Any of various theories that justify moral principles or political arrangements by appealing to a social contract that is voluntarily committed to under ideal conditions for such commitment. Also called contractualism.
OTHER FORMS:	contrac·tari·an —ADJECTIVE contrac·tari·an·ist —ADJECTIVE


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.