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finalism

American  
[fahyn-l-iz-uhm] / ˈfaɪn lˌɪz əm /

noun

  1. the doctrine or belief that all events are determined by their purposes or goals.

finalism British  
/ ˈfaɪnəˌlɪzəm /

noun

  1. philosophy the doctrine that final causes determine the course of all events

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • finalistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of finalism

First recorded in 1905–10; final + -ism

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.