predestinarianism

predestinarianism — noun

1. the religious belief that God has already decided, before each person is born, w

1.nounC2
Definition

the religious belief that God has already decided, before each person is born, whether they will be saved or damned, and that nothing a person does can change this outcome.

Example

Emily's grandfather was a firm believer in predestinarianism.

The church split over the question of predestinarianism.

collocation: split over [doctrine]

Common collocations
  • belief in predestinarianism
  • doctrine of predestinarianism
  • predestinarianism teaches that
  • strict predestinarianism
  • reject predestinarianism
Synonyms
  • predestination

    refers to the doctrine itself rather than the system of belief; much more common in general use

  • Calvinism

    the specific Christian tradition that teaches predestinarianism; narrower in scope

  • determinism

    the philosophical rather than theological version of the idea that outcomes are fixed

Antonyms
  • free will

    the belief that humans can freely choose their actions, including their own salvation

  • Arminianism

    the Christian theological system that emphasises human free will and rejects predestinarianism

Grammar Patterns

predestinarianism + is/was

Usage Note

Typically uncountable. Found most often in academic writing about Christian theology, especially Calvinist traditions. The related noun 'predestination' is much more common in everyday use.

Common Mistakes

I study predestinarianism at university.' (when referring to the concept itself)
I study predestination at university.
'predestinarianism' refers to the whole system of belief; 'predestination' is the specific doctrine it is based on.

Word family

  • predestinarian
    nounC2
  • predestinarian
    adjectiveC2
  • predestine
    verbC2
  • predestination
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Predestinarianism is the system of belief built around predestination, but the two terms differ in scope. 'Predestination' names the specific doctrine that God has foreordained salvation or damnation for each soul, while 'predestinarianism' describes the broader theological framework that rests on that idea. 'Calvinism' overlaps significantly — Calvinist theology is the main vehicle of predestinarianism in Western Christianity — but Calvinism also includes other doctrines (such as total depravity and limited atonement) that are not entailed by predestinarianism alone. 'Determinism' is the widest term: a philosophical claim that every event, including human choices, is causally determined by prior conditions. Determinism does not require a divine decider and applies to all events, not just salvation. A Calvinist preacher might defend predestinarianism from the pulpit; a philosophy professor would argue for or against determinism in a lecture hall.

predestinationCalvinismdeterminism ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • split over predestinarianism
  • a firm believer in predestinarianism

Prepositions

  • over (predestinarianism)
  • about (predestinarianism)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'praedestinare' (to determine beforehand), through late Latin 'praedestinatio' and French 'prédestinarianisme'. The English suffix '-ism' was added to 'predestinarian' (a follower of the doctrine) to name the system of belief itself.