predestination

[ pri-des-tuh-ney-shuh n, pree-des- ]

/ prɪˌdɛs təˈneɪ ʃən, ˌpri dɛs- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR predestination ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act of predestinating or predestining.

the state of being predestinated or predestined.

fate; destiny.

Theology.

the action of God in foreordaining from eternity whatever comes to pass.
the decree of God by which certain souls are foreordained to salvation.Compare election(def 4), double predestination.

Nearby words

predentin, predeposit, predesignate, predestinarian, predestinate, predestination, predestinator, predestine, predeterminate, predetermine, predeterminer

Origin of predestination

1300–50; Middle English predestinacioun < Late Latin praedestinātiōn- (stem of praedestinātiō). See predestinate, -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for predestination

The discussion of the time grew keen about predestination and free-will.
The Greatest English Classic|Cleland Boyd McAfee
For me as a person this theory of predestination has no practical value.
First and Last Things|H. G. Wells
But whether they will allow it or not, predestination is manifest in Adam's posterity.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. VIII|Various
Fortunately no such thing occurred, and Predestination's powers of evasion were not put to the test.
When Ghost Meets Ghost|William Frend De Morgan

Our young people are diseased with the theological problems of original sin, origin of evil, predestination and the like.
Essays, First Series|Ralph Waldo Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for predestination

predestination

/ (priːˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃən) /

noun

theol

the act of God foreordaining every event from eternity
the doctrine or belief, esp associated with Calvin, that the final salvation of some of mankind is foreordained from eternity by God

the act of predestining or the state of being predestined

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

Culture definitions for predestination

predestination

In theology, the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation (see also salvation) for others.