Predestinationist: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in religious or philosophical discussions to describe someone who believes in predestination, the doctrine that all events have been willed by God.

• As a predestinationist, she firmly believed that her life's path was already decided by a higher power.
• The preacher's predestinationist views influenced many of his congregants.

Carries a negative connotation and is used to describe someone who believes that all events are predetermined and inevitable, often with a pessimistic or resigned attitude towards life.

• Being a fatalist, he believed that no matter what he did, his fate was already sealed.
• Her fatalistic perspective prevented her from feeling motivated to change her circumstances.

Applied in a broader philosophical sense to someone who believes that all events are determined by previously existing causes, without free will playing a role.

• The philosopher was a determinist, arguing that free will is just an illusion.
• Her deterministic outlook made her see life as a series of inevitable events.

Used when referring specifically to followers of the teachings of John Calvin, particularly the belief in predestination as a key component of Calvinism.

• The calvinist doctrine was central to the church's teachings.
• As a calvinist, he followed the theological principles set forth by John Calvin.