What does mammonism mean?
Mammonism means devotion to money, wealth, and material success, particularly when those values come to displace religious, ethical, or human commitments. The word is more than a synonym for greed: it suggests the elevation of wealth into a guiding principle or rival religion. Its historical associations are closely connected with the biblical figure of Mammon and the warning that a person cannot serve both God and Mammon. Consequently, writers have long used mammonism to criticize commercial cultures, institutions, or individuals that treat money as the supreme good. The term is uncommon in everyday conversation but remains useful in moral, religious, and political commentary. It can describe both personal worship of money and broader social systems in which profit, status, and consumption dominate collective values.
nounDevotion to wealth and material gain, especially when treated as a rival to religious or moral commitments. The term can also refer broadly to a culture or ideology that prioritizes money, profit, and status.
- Devotion to wealth, money, or material gain, especially as a substitute for religious or moral commitments.
"The novel condemns the mammonism of a society in which status is measured entirely by wealth."
"The preacher denounced the mammonism of merchants who measured every human relationship in terms of profit."
"Economists use the term mammonism when discussing a public culture in which conspicuous consumption and financial success become overriding measures of worth."
The plural is grammatically possible but rare; singular usage is overwhelmingly preferred.
"The author contrasts two forms of mammonism: the merchant's obsession with profit and the courtier's obsession with status."
The Gospel's warning that no one can serve both God and Mammon gave this rare word a lasting moral charge: money worship can become a rival faith.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of mammonism
Mammonism was formed in English in the early 17th century by combining Mammon with the suffix -ism. Mammon entered Middle English through Latin and ultimately came from Greek Μαμών (Mamōn), a Greek term commonly traced to an Aramaic word for wealth. Its prominence in Christian moral discourse grew alongside the biblical contrast between serving God and serving Mammon, giving the name its enduring association with the worship of money.
How mammonism is actually used
Mammonism is formal, literary, and generally critical. It describes an organized attitude or cultural ideology rather than the ordinary wish to earn money, and it often carries a specifically Christian or biblical resonance.
Easily confused with mammonism
Materialism is the broader doctrine that matter and material conditions are fundamental, whereas mammonism specifically denotes devotion to money and material gain.
Mammon is the biblical personification or name of worldly wealth, while mammonism is the practice or ideology of worshipping wealth.