Calvinism

[ kal-vuh-niz-uhm ]

/ ˈkæl vəˌnɪz əm /

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noun

the doctrines and teachings of John Calvin or his followers, emphasizing predestination, the sovereignty of God, the supreme authority of the Scriptures, and the irresistibility of grace.Compare Arminianism.

adherence to these doctrines.

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Origin of Calvinism

First recorded in 1560–70; Calvin + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM Calvinism

Cal·vin·ist, noun, adjectiveCal·vin·is·tic, adjectiveCal·vin·is·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti-Cal·vin·ism, noun

an·ti-Cal·vin·ist, noun, adjectivean·ti-Cal·vin·is·tic, adjectivenon-Cal·vin·ist, noun, adjectivenon-Cal·vin·is·tic, adjective

Words nearby Calvinism

calve, Calvert, calves, Calvin, Calvin cycle, Calvinism, Calvin, John, Calvino, calvities, calvous, calvus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Calvinism in a sentence

“Positive thinking starts in the 19th century as a somewhat reasonable response to Calvinism,” she explained.
Why Are You So Damn Happy?|Megan Hustad|October 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He was not many years removed from the sound of a preaching of the straitest New England Calvinism.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Sire, Calvinism will save France by setting up a moral barrier between her and a nation which covets the empire of the world.
Catherine de' Medici|Honore de Balzac
Calvinism, above all theological creeds, might be supposed antipathetic to him.
British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Volume LIV|Various

If they invited her to Scotland, it was in the name of the Parliament which had set up Calvinism as the law of the land.
History of the English People|John Richard Green
Calvinism drew with it a thirst for political liberty, and religious revolution became the prelude to political revolution.
History of the English People|John Richard Green

British Dictionary definitions for Calvinism

Calvinism

/ (ˈkælvɪˌnɪzəm) /

noun

the theological system of John Calvin and his followers, characterized by emphasis on the doctrines of predestination, the irresistibility of grace, and justification by faith

Derived forms of Calvinism

Calvinist, noun, adjectiveCalvinistic or Calvinistical, adjective

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 Calvinism

Calvinism

The religious doctrines of John Calvin. Calvin stressed that people are saved through God's grace, not through their own merits. The most famous of Calvin's ideas is his doctrine of predestination. In the United States, the Presbyterians make up the largest single group of Christians (see also Christian) in the Calvinist tradition.