- (n.) The act of dispensing or dealing out; distribution; often used of the distribution of good and evil by God to man or more generically, of the acts and modes of his administration.
- (n.) The relaxation of a law in a particular case; permission to do something forbidden or to omit doing something enjoined; specifically, in the Roman Catholic Church, exemption from some ecclesiastical law or obligation to God which a man has incurred of his own free will (oaths, vows, etc.).
- (n.) That which is dispensed, dealt out or appointed; that which is enjoined or bestowed.
- (n.) A system of principles, promises, and rules ordained and administered; scheme; economy; as, the Patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian dispensations.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). dispensation. Retrieved September 25, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/dispensation/definitions/1998940 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "dispensation" http://smartdefine.org/dispensation/definitions/1998940 (accessed September 25, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, dispensation, Smart Define, viewed 25 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/dispensation/definitions/1998940>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "dispensation" 27 May 2011. Web. 25 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/dispensation/definitions/1998940> |