Definition of: pluralism

(plr′əl·iz′əm) noun
1. The condition of being plural.
2. Eccl. The holding of more than one office, or, in the Anglican church, of more than one ecclesiastical living, at one time.
3. Philos. The doctrine that there is a plurality of ultimate substances, as spirit and matter: opposed to monism.
4. The existence within a society of diverse groups, as in religion, race, or ethnic origin, which contribute to the cultural matrix of the society while retaining their distinctive characters; also, a doctrine advocating this.
—plu′ral·is′tic adjective