Holistic

adjective

/həʊˈlɪs.tɪk/ (British; American /hoʊˈlɪs.tɪk/)

Relating to or concerned with complete systems rather than with their individual parts; characterised by the belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its constituent parts and must be understood in its entirety.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

A truly holistic development paradigm must transcend the narrow metric of GDP growth and integrate ecological sustainability, social equity and human capability, for governance fails when it optimises one dimension of well-being while neglecting the interdependent whole.

Synonyms

integratedcomprehensiveall-encompassingintegrativewhole-systemsaggregate

Antonyms

atomisticreductionistfragmentarypiecemeal

🌱 Word Family

holism (n), holistically (adv), holist (n), holistic (adj), holism (n)

🔡 Root

Greek holos = whole; coined 1926 by Jan Christiaan Smuts (holism + -istic) in Holism and Evolution

📜 Etymology

Formed 1926 from "holism" + the suffix "-istic". "Holism" was coined by South African statesman Jan Christiaan Smuts in his book Holism and Evolution (1926), from Greek "holos" meaning "whole".

🧠 Memory Hook

Hear the "whole" hiding inside holistic - from Greek holos, "whole": a holistic view sees the entire whole, not isolated parts.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2025 — Society & Social Issues
Prelims 2010 — Welfare Schemes
Mains 2018 · GS4 · 20 marks — Police Ethics / Holistic Governance / Law Enforcement

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Holistic” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🏛️ Governance 📖 Seen in: Good Governance — Metrics, Indices & G...

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