Meaning & use
foreknowledge
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Meanings
noununcountableformal
Knowledge that something will happen before it actually does.
Grammar: Uncountable; no plural. Often followed by 'of' or 'that': foreknowledge of the event.
Patterns
- foreknowledge of something
- have foreknowledge of something
- without foreknowledge of something
The report claims the government had foreknowledge of the attack.
She acted with no foreknowledge of the decision.
His foreknowledge of the market crash saved him a lot of money.
noununcountableformalreligion
In philosophy and religion, the idea that a divine being knows everything that will happen.
Grammar: Used in theological or philosophical discussion; often with 'divine' or 'God's'.
Patterns
- divine foreknowledge
- God's foreknowledge
The debate about divine foreknowledge and free will has lasted for centuries.
Many religions teach that God has foreknowledge of all events.
Common combinations
- have foreknowledge of
- Did they have foreknowledge of the changes?
- without foreknowledge
- He signed the contract without foreknowledge of the risks.
- divine foreknowledge
- Theologians discuss divine foreknowledge and human freedom.
- prior foreknowledge
- The police had prior foreknowledge of the protest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- foresight
- More common and practical; it means thinking ahead and preparing, not just knowing the future.
- premonition
- A feeling that something bad will happen, often without proof; foreknowledge suggests actual knowledge.
- advance knowledge
- A plain phrase meaning the same; use it in everyday writing to avoid the formal tone of 'foreknowledge'.
Opposites
Word family
- foreknow verb
- To know something before it happens (rare, formal).
- foreknown adjective
- Known beforehand (rare, formal).
Commonly confused: foreknowledge or foresight?
foreknowledge vs foresight
Foresight is the ability to plan ahead wisely; foreknowledge is simply knowing about something in advance, often without any action.
Practice
Choose the best word: 'The company denied having ______ of the safety problems before the accident.'
Choose one answer.
'Foreknowledge' fits because it means knowing about something before it happens. 'Foresight' is about planning ahead, not just knowing. 'Premonition' is a feeling, not knowledge. 'Hindsight' is understanding after the event, the opposite of what is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foreknowledge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.