holistic
hoh-LISS-tik
/hoʊˈlɪstɪk/
Characterized by the belief that parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
Opposes strict reductionism; looks at ecosystems, minds, and systems in their totality.
The story behind the word. Coined in 1926 by South African statesman and philosopher Jan Smuts in his book 'Holism and Evolution', derived from Greek 'holos' (whole). Smuts argued that nature inherently tends to create wholes that are greater than the sum of their parts.
Word relationships
- comprehensive: Comprehensive means thorough and covering all details, whereas holistic stresses systemic interconnection.
- integrated: Integrated stresses bringing parts together into a unified system.
- reductionist: Reductionist breaks complex phenomena into simple individual parts without looking at the whole.
- fragmented: Fragmented implies broken into disconnected pieces.
Commonly confused with
- atomistic: Atomistic treats things as separate, independent units; holistic treats them as interconnected wholes.
Word family
- holism (noun): The theory that parts of a whole cannot exist independently
- holistically (adverb): In a holistic manner
Collocations
- holistic approach
- holistic view
- holistic health
- holistic perspective
Idioms & expressions
- seeing the bigger picture
Example sentences
- "Eastern medicine adopts a holistic approach, treating mind, body, and spirit as one connected system." Traditional Medicine
- "A holistic understanding of forest ecology considers soil microbes, water tables, and wildlife." Environmental Science
Memory hook
HOLISTIC looks at the WHOLE thing. The whole is greater than the sum of parts.
When not to use
Do not spell with a 'w' (wholistic), though 'whole' is the etymological relative; 'holistic' with an 'h' is standard.
Fun facts
- Jan Smuts, who coined 'holism', was also a military general and helped draft the UN Charter.
Explore more words
integrated, systemic, interconnectedness, interdependent, complementary, symbiotic
Also appears in
- Education & Pedagogy → Homeschooling & Alternative Ed
- Education & Pedagogy → Extracurricular & Enrichment
- Education & Pedagogy → Teacher Roles & Mentorship
- Food Science & Culinary Craft → Global Nutrition & Diets
- Health Sciences → Mental Health & Well-being
- Health Sciences → Alternative & Holistic Medicine
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.