Standard Lemma guide

theodicy

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: thēŏʹdĭsi
  • UK: /θiːˈɒd.ɪ.si/
  • General-American: /θiˈɑd.ɪ.si/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A justification of a deity or of particular attributes of a deity; specifically, a justification of the existence of evil and suffering in the world; a work or discourse justifying the ways of God.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, lifestyle, philosophy, religion, sciences, theology

Examples

  • 2000 [Kluwer Academic], Charles Seymour, A Theodicy of Hell, 2010, Springer, Softcover reprint, page 195, In general, my theodicy of hell is more congenial to those denominations with less rigidly defined doctrinal systems. Does this mean I have allowed theodicy to encroach on theology, contrary to my avowed purpose?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the branch of theology that defends God's goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: theology, divinity

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French théodicée, from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”) + δίκη (díkē, “justice”), coined by German mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in his 1710 work Essais de Théodicée sur la bonté de Dieu, la liberté de l'homme et l'origine du mal (Essays of Theodicy on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil), commonly known as Théodicée.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: teodicea — justification of a deity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 神义论 — justification of a deity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 神正论 — justification of a deity
  • Czech: theodicea — justification of a deity
  • Dutch: theodicee — justification of a deity
  • Estonian: teodiike — justification of a deity
  • Finnish: pahan ongelma — justification of a deity
  • French: théodicée — justification of a deity
  • Georgian: თეოდიცეა (teodicea) — justification of a deity
  • Georgian: თეოდიკეა (teodiḳea) — justification of a deity
  • German: Theodizee — justification of a deity
  • Hungarian: teodícea — justification of a deity
  • Hungarian: teodicea — justification of a deity
  • Hungarian: theodicea — justification of a deity
  • Hungarian: istentan — justification of a deity
  • Hungarian: istenigazolás — justification of a deity
  • Italian: teodicea — justification of a deity
  • Occitan: teodicea — justification of a deity
  • Polish: teodycea — justification of a deity
  • Portuguese: teodiceia — justification of a deity
  • Russian: теодицея (teodiceja) — justification of a deity
  • Serbo-Croatian: teodiceja — justification of a deity
  • Spanish: teodicea — justification of a deity
  • Swedish: teodicé — justification of a deity
  • Tagalog: palabathalaan — justification of a deity
  • Tagalog: teodisea — justification of a deity
  • Turkish: teodise — justification of a deity