[From Latin absolutum: detached, independent, completed.]
(religion) Within some forms of Christianity (esp. Calvinism), the doctrine that one's salvation is predestined and determined solely by the will of God, uninfluenced by causes such as one's deeds or intentions; more commonly called the doctrine of predestination.
(politics) The doctrine that a sovereign or government ought to possess absolute power over individuals and society; an older and less common term for totalitarianism.