finalism

American

[fahyn-l-iz-uhm] / ˈfaɪn lˌɪz əm /

noun

the doctrine or belief that all events are determined by their purposes or goals.

finalism British

/ ˈfaɪnəˌlɪzəm /

noun

philosophy the doctrine that final causes determine the course of all events

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

finalistic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of finalism

First recorded in 1905–10; final + -ism

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023