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I want to escape from school and I love with this "escapism".

Can I use escape in place of escapism?

Similarly can I use escapism instead of escape in this sentence?

Romantic novel should present an "escape" from dreary realities of life.

Both escapism and escape are nouns. So can I choose any of them? If I interchange would the meaning will be same or altered?

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  • What is it that you are trying to express with your sentence? What makes you believe that you might be able to use these two words interchangeably? (other than the fact they are both nouns) Cat and catfish are both nouns, but they aren't synonyms.
    – ColleenV
    Jul 2, 2017 at 16:35
  • as they both are nouns so can I use these two words interchangeably?
    – user55697
    Jul 2, 2017 at 16:37
  • Would it mean same when I use interchangeably or it will change the meaning of sentence?
    – user55697
    Jul 2, 2017 at 16:39
  • What did you find when you looked in the dictionary? What makes you think the meaning of those two words is the same?
    – ColleenV
    Jul 2, 2017 at 16:39
  • I found them as nouns, so I thought to use interchangeably. Rest I want to understand from native speakers like you.
    – user55697
    Jul 2, 2017 at 16:42

2 Answers 2

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The noun "escapism" has only one definition - a way of avoiding an unpleasant or boring life, especially by thinking, reading, etc. about more exciting but impossible activities.

The noun "escape" has several definitions - the act of successfully getting out of a place or a dangerous or bad situation; a loss that happens by accident; something that helps you to forget about your usual life or problems.

As you can see the 3rd definition of "escape" and the definition of "escapism" are similar, yet, I wouldn't say that they are the same.

Take the second example, it can be rewritten using either word:

  • Romantic novels should present an escape from dreary realities of life.
  • Romantic novels should be a form of escapism for those tired of dreary realities of life.
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    I would take issue with your last sentence, specifically the phrase be an escapism: Romantic novels should be an escapism for those tired of dreary realities of life. People who read such fiction are indulging in escapism, but it is not idiomatic to call the novels themselves an escapism. You could say "The novels are a form of escapism".
    – TimR
    Jul 2, 2017 at 18:15
  • Escapism is analogous to racism in that regard. A novel may be racist but not a racism.
    – TimR
    Jul 2, 2017 at 18:23
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I want to escape from school and I [am in] love with this "escape."

The problem is that this escape would resolve to an actual single instance of you escaping, but you only mention an escape you want to do.

You can't say this escape unless there was an actual escape. You can say this desire to escape or this want to escape.

Escapism means something different than escape and is not really related to a physical escape as in breaking free from a place. It means the overall tendency indulging in fantasies unrelated to reality in order to avoid reality. Escapism would be something like:

I often daydream that I'm a cartoon rabbit in a TV show. And other things. I am in love with my escapism.

Similarly can I use escapism instead of escape in this sentence?

Escapism is an -ism that isn't used to describe specific things, but rather an overall tendency of a person. A person wanting to indulge in escapism will do certain things, but it's odd to say doing certain things gives or provides escapism.

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