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Foreknowledge: meaning, definitions and examples

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foreknowledge

[fɔːˈnɒlɪdʒ ]

Definitions

^{Context #1 | Noun}

in theology

Advance knowledge or awareness of events before they happen, especially in a religious context.

Synonyms

foresight, prescience.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
foreknowledge	Foreknowledge generally refers to having prior knowledge about a specific event or situation before it happens. It often implies some degree of certainty and is usually used in serious or impactful situations. The scientist's foreknowledge of the impending asteroid strike allowed them to prepare a defense plan. Her foreknowledge of the merger gave her an advantage in the stock market.
prescience	Prescience refers to the ability to see or know something before it happens. It often carries a connotation of almost supernatural or exceptional insight. Her prescience about the rise of social media platforms proved to be remarkably accurate. The novelist's prescience allowed him to write about future societal changes with uncanny accuracy.
foresight	Foresight is the ability to anticipate what might happen in the future and to plan accordingly. It emphasizes the importance of planning and preparation. His foresight in investing in technology stocks paid off greatly. Good leaders have the foresight to identify potential problems before they arise.

Word

Description / Examples

foreknowledge

Foreknowledge generally refers to having prior knowledge about a specific event or situation before it happens. It often implies some degree of certainty and is usually used in serious or impactful situations.

The scientist's foreknowledge of the impending asteroid strike allowed them to prepare a defense plan.
Her foreknowledge of the merger gave her an advantage in the stock market.

prescience

Prescience refers to the ability to see or know something before it happens. It often carries a connotation of almost supernatural or exceptional insight.

Her prescience about the rise of social media platforms proved to be remarkably accurate.
The novelist's prescience allowed him to write about future societal changes with uncanny accuracy.

foresight

Foresight is the ability to anticipate what might happen in the future and to plan accordingly. It emphasizes the importance of planning and preparation.

His foresight in investing in technology stocks paid off greatly.
Good leaders have the foresight to identify potential problems before they arise.

Examples of usage

Divine foreknowledge is a key concept in many religious beliefs.
The idea of foreknowledge plays a significant role in predestination theories.

^{Context #2 | Noun}

general

Knowledge or awareness of something before it happens.

Synonyms

foresight, prescience.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
foreknowledge	Foreknowledge is used when talking about having prior awareness or information about something before it happens. His foreknowledge of the event allowed him to prepare in advance. They accused her of foreknowledge of the secret plan.
prescience	Prescience is typically used in more formal or literary contexts to describe seemingly supernatural knowledge of future events. The author's prescience about technological advancements was impressive. His prescience about the market trends made him a successful investor.
foresight	Foresight is used to describe the ability to see or plan for the future, often indicating wisdom or careful planning. Her foresight in saving money helped her in times of financial difficulty. Thanks to his foresight, we avoided a potential disaster.

Word

Description / Examples

foreknowledge

Foreknowledge is used when talking about having prior awareness or information about something before it happens.

His foreknowledge of the event allowed him to prepare in advance.
They accused her of foreknowledge of the secret plan.

prescience

Prescience is typically used in more formal or literary contexts to describe seemingly supernatural knowledge of future events.

The author's prescience about technological advancements was impressive.
His prescience about the market trends made him a successful investor.

foresight

Foresight is used to describe the ability to see or plan for the future, often indicating wisdom or careful planning.

Her foresight in saving money helped her in times of financial difficulty.
Thanks to his foresight, we avoided a potential disaster.

Examples of usage

His foreknowledge of the market trends helped him make successful investments.
She seemed to possess an uncanny foreknowledge of the future.

Translations

Translations of the word "foreknowledge" in other languages:

🇵🇹 conhecimento prévio

🇮🇳 पूर्वज्ञान

🇩🇪 Vorwissen

🇮🇩 pengetahuan sebelumnya

🇺🇦 попереднє знання

🇵🇱 wiedza wcześniejsza

🇯🇵 予知

🇫🇷 connaissance préalable

🇪🇸 conocimiento previo

🇹🇷 ön bilgi

🇰🇷 이전 지식

🇸🇦 معرفة مسبقة

🇨🇿 předchozí znalost

🇸🇰 predchádzajúce vedomosti

🇨🇳 预知

🇸🇮 predhodno znanje

🇮🇸 fyrirfram þekking

🇰🇿 алдын ала білім

🇬🇪 წინასწარი ცოდნა

🇦🇿 əvvəlcədən bilik

🇲🇽 conocimiento previo

Etymology

The word 'foreknowledge' is derived from the Middle English 'foreknowen', which combines 'fore-' (before) with 'knowen' (to know). The concept of foreknowledge has been present in various religious and philosophical traditions throughout history, often associated with ideas of fate, destiny, and predestination.