1. relating to or characterized by vitalism, the theory that living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things
Usage: philosophical; biological theory

Examples

• The vitalistic approach to medicine emphasizes the body’s natural healing powers.
• Many early biologists held vitalistic views about what distinguished living from non-living matter.
• His vitalistic philosophy rejected purely mechanical explanations of life processes.
• The vitalistic theory was largely abandoned as scientific understanding of biochemistry advanced.
• She criticized the vitalistic assumptions underlying alternative healing practices.
• The debate between vitalistic and mechanistic explanations of life dominated 19th-century biology.