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Glite Dictionary
foreordination

foreordination

9.9
The belief that God decides in advance what will happen and who will be saved
  • noun
  • /ˌfɔːrˌɔːrdɪˈneɪʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : predestinación
  • The concept of foreordination suggests that God has predetermined the path of every soul.

Examples

  • Many debates in theology focus on foreordination versus free will.

  • The concept of foreordination is central to Calvinist theology.

  • Debates about foreordination have shaped much of Protestant theology.

  • She struggled to reconcile divine foreordination with the idea of free will.

  • The Calvinist doctrine of foreordination holds that every event is predestined by God.

  • Many believe in the foreordination of events, asserting that everything happens for a divine reason.

  • In theology, foreordination often refers to the belief that God has a plan for each individual's life.

Synonyms

predestination
vsforeordination
  • Formal
4 9.9

The belief that God already decides what happens in people's lives

emphasizes being determined in advance but not explicitly about unchangeability
predestiny
vsforeordination
1 9.9

Belief that all things that happen are decided in advance by fate or a higher power

is the formal theological doctrine focusing on divine determination not vague fate
preordination
vsforeordination
  • Specialized
1 9.9

The belief that God decides in advance what will happen

is the state or doctrine idea rather than only the act of deciding
predetermination
vsforeordination
  • Specialized
1 9.7

The belief that God decided all events before they happen

covers every event and outcome rather than only salvation matters
predestinarianism
vsforeordination
  • Formal
9.9

A belief that God decides everything, especially who will be saved

is the theological concept itself rather than the movement or ideology

Antonyms

chance
780 2.1

An unplanned event or meeting that happens without reason

How Predetermined

foreordination
  • Formal
9.9
plan
∞ 1.0
possibility
∞ 2.0
chance
780 2.1

Surface Forms

foreordination singular
foreordinations plural

Morphology

foreordination = foreordain (transparent) = fore + ordain + ation

Built from the verb 'foreordain' + the noun-forming suffix '-ation'; the meaning 'the act of ordaining beforehand' is directly derived from its parts.

Etymology

Foreordination comes from the parts fore- ('before') and ordain ('to order' or 'to appoint'), a root you can think of like the word 'order'. So foreordination is like an 'order given beforehand', which is why in religious talk it means something is decided in advance by God.