Calvinism

American  

[kal-vuh-niz-uhm] / ˈkæl vəˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. 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.

2. adherence to these doctrines.

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Calvinism British  

/ ˈkælvɪˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. 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

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Calvinism Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• Calvinist
  noun
• anti-Calvinism
  noun
• anti-Calvinist
  noun
• non-Calvinist
  noun
• pro-Calvinism
  noun
• pro-Calvinist
  noun
• Calvinistic
  adjective
• anti-Calvinistic
  adjective
• non-Calvinistic
  adjective
• pro-Calvinistic
  adjective
• Calvinistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of Calvinism

First recorded in 1560–70; Calvin + -ism

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Calvinism

His case for it, which includes a caricature of Calvinism, is unconvincing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025

"I think it's the Calvinism," a Dutch colleague ventured when I inquired about the enigmatic reserve of her countrymen.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2022

The streak of austerity in Dutch culture can be traced to Calvinism, say residents, the most popular religious branch of Protestantism here for hundreds of years.

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2022

Practically speaking, however, Calvinism involved a kind of circular argument about salvation.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020

The following is another specimen of Calvinism from the same periodical.

From Calvinistic Controversy Embracing a Sermon on Predestination and Election and Several Numbers, Formally Published in the Christian Advocate and Journal. by Wilbur Fisk