foreknowledge
Knowing things beforehand
Foreknowledge is knowledge of something before it happens or exists.
The term often appears in theological contexts—does God's foreknowledge of human choices negate free will?
More practically, it refers to advance information: With foreknowledge of the merger, she bought shares early.
The word implies awareness gained through prediction, revelation, or privileged access rather than direct observation.
Extrasensory perception ability
- precognitionParanormal future awareness
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- seerOne who envisions futures
soothsaying · augury · psychic · visionary · sibyl · tarot · scrying · palmistry
Unlimited knowledge state
- predestinationDivinely predetermined fate
- providenceDivine protective care
- fatePredetermined course of events
- destinyPredetermined course of events
determinism · free-will · salvation · damnation · theodicy · Calvinism · election · grace
Arranging things in advance
- expectationBelief about future outcomes
- readinessState of being prepared
- planningArranging for future events
- forewarningNotice of future trouble
prediction · premonition · intuition · suspense · anxiety · hope · dread · speculation
Mental ability, cognitive capacity
- reconnaissanceInformation-gathering before action
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- espionageCovert intelligence gathering
- tip-offAdvance secret warning
briefing · leak · informant · planning · counterintelligence · preemption · preparation · advantage
clairvoyance
Extrasensory perception ability
- precognitionParanormal future awareness
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
seer · soothsaying · augury · psychic · visionary · sibyl · tarot · scrying · palmistry · omen
omniscience
Unlimited knowledge state
- predestinationDivinely predetermined fate
- providenceDivine protective care
- fatePredetermined course of events
destiny · determinism · free-will · salvation · damnation · theodicy · Calvinism · election · grace · scripture
preparation
Arranging things in advance
- expectationBelief about future outcomes
- readinessState of being prepared
- planningArranging for future events
forewarning · prediction · premonition · intuition · suspense · anxiety · hope · dread · speculation · conjecture
intelligence
Mental ability, cognitive capacity
- reconnaissanceInformation-gathering before action
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- espionageCovert intelligence gathering
tip-off · briefing · leak · informant · planning · counterintelligence · preemption · preparation · advantage
- foresightprecognition, futurology, forethought, premonition, forecasts
- instinctsinstinct, survival instinct, survival instincts, maternal instinct, gut instinct
- Cassandraprophetess, seer, Troy, unheeded, warnings
- oraclesoracle, sibyl, prophetess, seer, Delphi
- psychic abilitiesclairvoyance, ESP, precognition, second sight, sixth sense
- providencedivine plan, divine will, omniscience, predestination, provision
foreknowledgehindsight
Recognition after the fact
retrospection · looking back · backward glance · memory · recollection
foreknowledgeignorance
Absence of knowledge
unawareness · surprise · blindness · unknowing · cluelessness
knowledge, known, knowing, foresight, foreshadow, prescience, knowable, foresighted, foreshadowing