noun
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Christianity
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final and irrevocable spiritual ruin
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this state as one that the wicked are said to be destined to endure for ever
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another word for hell
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archaic utter disaster, ruin, or destruction
Etymology
Origin of perdition
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin perditiōn-, stem of perditiō “destruction,” from perdit(us) “lost” (past participle of perdere “to do in, ruin, lose,” from per- per- + -dere, combining form of dare “to give”) + -iō -ion; replacing Middle English perdiciun, from Old French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Perdition is mainly a religious concept from Christianity that means hell or eternal damnation. Perdition doesn't sound like a lot of fun. If you hear someone say "the fires of perdition," they're talking about the fires of hell. Perdition refers to hell, and especially the religious idea of eternal damnation: suffering for an endless period of time after death. You can also use this word for a more earthly kind of suffering. When you have three exams and an essay due on the same day, you might exclaim, "I'm in perdition!" When you see the word perdition, think "suffering"
Vocabulary lists containing perdition
Frankenstein
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Antigone
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The Tempest
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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.
If so, which people are allowed in and which are banished to perdition, if not sentenced to be annihilated?
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2023
This perdition has only grown more baroque and hellish during the post-COVID travel rebound, which has created dehumanizing rental car shortages and skyrocketing prices across the country.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2023
It’s Torquemada, he’s been told, Who’s here to damn him to perdition.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2022
Across five and a half seasons, Kim’s long slide toward perdition has become arguably the narrative keystone of the series.
From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2022
The only places I’d seen within a stone’s throw from Shady’s place were the cemetery and that broken-down shack of a house with perdition written on the gate.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
