inerrancy

American  

[in-er-uhn-see, -ur-] / ɪnˈɛr ən si, -ˈɜr- /

noun

1. lack of error; infallibility.

2. the belief that the Bible is free from error in matters of science as well as those of faith.

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Etymology

Origin of inerrancy

First recorded in 1810–20; inerr(ant) + -ancy

Compare meaning

How does inerrancy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• inerrancy vs. infallibility

Explanation

Something that has inerrancy is completely accurate and cannot be wrong. Many Christians believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. You're most likely to come across the noun inerrancy in a religious context. It usually describes Christian religious writing — particularly the Bible — and the word of God. People who believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible are most likely to emphasize its inerrancy. In other words, they think that everything in the Bible is the literal truth. Inerrancy comes from inerrant, which originally referred to stars in the sky, and which is rooted in inerrantem, "not wandering" in Latin.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inerrancy

Theologically, the new regime insisted on biblical inerrancy, the doctrine that the Bible is completely without error or contradiction.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2022

Gradually, though, as her inerrancy becomes clear, you let go of that concern and switch to related ones: Why tell the story this way in the first place?

From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2021

There was essentially a civil war in the denomination over biblical inerrancy, basically, is what they called.

From Slate ● Jun. 21, 2021

By then, Paige Patterson had already cemented his role as the architect of the Southern Baptist Convention’s conservative turn with its embrace of biblical inerrancy, the belief that the Bible is without error.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 21, 2019

Both sides assumed the inerrancy of Scripture and appealed primarily to the same biblical arguments.

From The Age of the Reformation by Preserved Smith