postmillennialist
|post-mil-len-ni-al-ist|
🇺🇸
/ˌpoʊstˌmɪˈlɛniəlɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˌpəʊstˌmɪˈlɛn.i.əl.ɪst/
believer that Christ returns after a Christian golden age
Etymology
'postmillennialist' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'post-' (from Latin 'post') meaning 'after', the word 'millennial' (from Latin 'millennium') meaning 'a thousand years', and the agent suffix '-ist' indicating 'a person who believes in or advocates'.
'postmillennialist' developed by adding the suffix '-ist' to 'postmillennial', a theological adjective used in 19th-century Protestant discourse about the millennium. 'Millennium' itself comes from medieval Latin 'millennium' (from Latin 'mille' 'thousand' + 'annus' 'year') and entered English as the term for a thousand-year period; 'post-' (Latin) was attached to indicate 'after'.
Initially related to the idea of the 'millennium' (a thousand-year period associated with Christ's reign), the term came to denote specifically a follower of postmillennialism — an optimistic eschatological stance that expects a long period of Christian influence before Christ's return.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who adheres to postmillennialism, the Christian theological view that Christ will return after a prolonged 'millennial' era of Christian faith, moral improvement, or Christian influence in society (often an optimistic view of progress and the church's role).
He described himself as a postmillennialist, convinced that social reform and evangelism would usher in a golden age before Christ's return.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/03 22:12