Quietist

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkwʌɪətɪst/

Definitions

1. An individual who emphasizes the importance of inner calm and separation from external affairs
2. A person who values serenity and prefers to limit interaction with the material world
3. A practitioner who seeks peace and tranquility by withdrawing from worldly concerns and focusing on spiritual contemplation

Etymology: The word's real story lies in its Italian model. "Quietista" was the name given to followers of the Spanish priest Miguel de Molinos, whose teaching centred on passive contemplation and the surrender of the will to God. English took the term from Italian and fitted it with the native suffix "-ist," which marks someone who adheres to a doctrine or practice, and so "quietist" came to name a person who adopts that stance. The English word is built from two familiar parts. "Quiet" comes ultimately from Latin "quietus," meaning at rest, and the suffix "-ist" turns the adjective into a noun for a believer or practitioner. The religious sense of the root was the original one; the broader meaning of someone seeking serenity and withdrawing from worldly activity grew out of that idea of inner stillness.

Synonyms: monk, ascetic, hermit, recluse, philosopher

Antonyms: activist, extrovert, socializer, engager, intervener