Monday, December 16, 2013

misoneism

misoneism \mis-oh-NEE-iz-uhm, mahy-soh-\, noun:

hatred or dislike of what is new or represents change.

But it is necessary to note that hereditary anomaly, if it provokes an anomaly in the moral sense, also suppresses misoneism, the horror of novelty which is almost the general rule of humanity.
-- Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent, 1907
...he saw he was the only one to stand ready for the new thing, because the others were all exhibiting symptoms of misoneism.
-- Brian Aldiss, Brian Aldiss, 1967

Misoneism comes from the Greek miso- + neos meaning "hatred" and "new."

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