foreknowledge

American

[fawr-nol-ij, fohr-, fawr-nol-ij, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌnɒl ɪdʒ, ˈfoʊr-, fɔrˈnɒl ɪdʒ, foʊr- /

noun

knowledge of something before it exists or happens; prescience.

Did you have any foreknowledge of the scheme?

Synonyms:

foresightedness, premonition, presentiment

Etymology

Origin of foreknowledge

First recorded in 1525–35; fore- + knowledge

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Expert futurists, Mr. Foster shows, disagree over how much the future lends itself to human control and foreknowledge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

But the judge decided that the absence of foreknowledge was no defence, because what they did had the effect of incitement.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024

The result was a uLIPSTIC, a universal platform not bound by foreknowledge of molecules, ligands, or receptors.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024

This has been telegraphed from the series' start; Pike's foreknowledge of a terrible fate he can't avoid, one that will leave him lingering between life and death, informs his overall joie de vivre.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2023

‘The counsel of Gandalf was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself or for others,’ said Aragorn.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023