antinomian
/æntiˈnoʊmi.ən/
antinomian · adj — of or pertaining to antinomianism. It carries an Arena rating of 1663, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, antinomian ranks #1,458 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words, #1,728 of 17,205 for The Improbable, #1,849 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #2,075 of 17,172 for Scariest Words.
antinomian is pronounced /æntiˈnoʊmi.ən/.
Why “antinomian” is a great word
Rejecting or opposing the belief that moral laws are binding, especially under a dispensation of divine grace. From Medieval Latin Antinomi (name of a sect), from Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “against”) + νόμος (nómos, “custom, law”); first recorded in English 1635–45, the term was coined by Martin Luther during the Reformation. Unlike a libertine, who pursues hedonistic license, or a legalist, who clings to the letter of the code, the antinomian professes a principled, theological freedom. It is the believer who, convinced that grace has already sealed their fate, smokes on the temple steps; the reformer who burns the catechism to warm the poor; the stark liberty of a faith so absolute it casts no shadow of earthly law—a state of grace so pure it trembles on the edge of desolation.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Medieval Latin Antinomi, from Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “against”) + νόμος (nómos, “custom, law”).
adj
- Of or pertaining to antinomianism.
- Rejecting higher moral or legal authority.e.g.“We might turn our average into a rule (not a law, since war was antinomian) and develop a habit of never engaging the enemy.” — 1922 (date written; published 1926), T[homas] E[dward] Lawrence, “Book III: A Railway Diversion”, in Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Company, published 1937,
noun
- One who embraces, encourages, or practices antinomianism.e.g.“"He was called by many persons an antinomian, though his life was exemplary."” — 1886, J. H. Thorpe, "John Brine" entry in Dictionary of National Biography:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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