act of faith
5
6.8
- noun
:
acto de fe
- Just staying alive is an act of faith.
- make an act of faith
But I think it starts with an act of faith.
- But I think it starts with an act of faith.
Examples
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It's gonna take a tremendous act of faith on your part, but you've got to hear me out.
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Mathematics involves an act of faith—one perhaps rather easy to make.
Academic text (1991) -
Every day of freedom is like an act of faith.
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Building this town is an even bigger act of faith.
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My dear John, I consider the responsibility of keeping you alive to be an act of faith, of love and, indeed, of friendship.
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We are all gathered here in an act of faith.
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Fellowship grants are an act of faith in the talent and vision of an individual artist.
Academic text (1993) -
Whether you're suspicious-minded or not, in the end, the whole thing is an act of faith.
Fiction book (1995) -
"For those who cannot follow the mathematics, belief in the Higgs is an act of faith, not of rationality."
Blog text (8) -
Every day of freedom is like an act of faith.
Synonyms
27
6.1
Doing something risky because you believe it will work
Antonyms
How Certain
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'act' (a deed) with 'faith' (trust or belief) in a straightforward compositional way: an action motivated by faith. This is a common noun + of + noun pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Act of faith comes from religious life, where someone made a clear act, like lighting a candle or making a vow, to show their faith even when there was no proof. So today act of faith means 'an action you take because you trust or believe, not because you know for sure'.