: esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient Gnostics to be essential to salvation
Examples of gnosis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Because of this discontinuity, Gnostic religions tended to include roles for special authorities possessing secret knowledge (gnosis) of God's wishes and intentions that couldn't be discerned from the structure of the world in which humans find ourselves.
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Damon Linker, The Week, 8 Feb. 2022
The red pill: gnosis, baby.
—Max Read, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2021
Another noted Alexandrian thinker was Valentinus, whose interpretation of Christianity required believers to embrace divine knowledge—in Greek, gnosis.
—National Geographic, 19 Apr. 2019
Damon Linker, The Week, 8 Feb. 2022
The red pill: gnosis, baby.
—Max Read, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2021
Another noted Alexandrian thinker was Valentinus, whose interpretation of Christianity required believers to embrace divine knowledge—in Greek, gnosis.
—National Geographic, 19 Apr. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gnosis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Greek gnōsis, literally, knowledge, from gignōskein
First Known Use
1703, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near gnosis
Cite this Entry
“Gnosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnosis. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gnosis
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