foreknowledge

American

[fawr-nol-ij, fohr-, fawr-nol-ij, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌnɒl ɪdʒ, ˈfoʊr-, fɔrˈnɒl ɪdʒ, foʊr- /

noun

knowledge of something before it exists or happens; prescience.

Did you have any foreknowledge of the scheme?

Synonyms:

foresightedness, premonition, presentiment

Etymology

Origin of foreknowledge

First recorded in 1525–35; fore- + knowledge

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Expert futurists, Mr. Foster shows, disagree over how much the future lends itself to human control and foreknowledge.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the judge decided that the absence of foreknowledge was no defence, because what they did had the effect of incitement.

From BBC

Columbus used his foreknowledge of a lunar eclipse to force the Arawak residents of present-day Jamaica to heel in fear.

From Los Angeles Times

This enables him to plan a project — the “foundation” of the title — that will long outlast his death, complete with periodic messages to his heirs that always show foreknowledge of their challenges and crises.

From Seattle Times

A leitmotif in "Strange New Worlds" relates to Pike foreknowledge that a life-changing accident lurks in his future.

From Salon

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