predestination

[ pri-des-tuh-ney-shuhn, pree-des- ]
See synonyms for predestination on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an act of predestinating or predestining.

  2. the state of being predestinated or predestined.

  1. fate; destiny.

  2. Theology.

    • the action of God in foreordaining from eternity whatever comes to pass.

    • the decree of God by which certain souls are foreordained to salvation.: Compare election (def. 5), double predestination.

Origin of predestination

1
1300–50; Middle English predestinacioun<Late Latin praedestinātiōn- (stem of praedestinātiō). See predestinate, -ion

Words Nearby predestination

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How to use predestination in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for predestination

predestination

/ (priːˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃən) /


noun
  1. theol

    • the act of God foreordaining every event from eternity

    • the doctrine or belief, esp associated with Calvin, that the final salvation of some of mankind is foreordained from eternity by God

  2. the act of predestining or the state of being predestined

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

Cultural definitions for predestination

predestination

In theology, the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation (see also salvation) for others.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.