act of God

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "act of God" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it in legal or insurance contexts to refer to natural events that are beyond human control. Example: "The damage to the property was due to an act of God, such as the hurricane." Alternative expressions include "natural disaster" and "force majeure."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

No act of God.

The Guardian - Sport

An act of God?

The Guardian - Sport

An act of God, right?

The New York Times

"It's an act of God.

The New York Times

"This is an act of God".

The New Yorker

"It wasn't an act of God".

The New Yorker

An act of God, he said.

The New Yorker

A flood is an act of God.

The New Yorker

Was it an act of God?

Independent

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

It was an act-of-God kind of day".

The New York Times - Sports

No amount of planning can prepare us for act-of-God weather.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use this phrase in legal or insurance contexts to denote events like hurricanes, floods or earthquakes that no amount of human foresight could prevent

Common error

Do not use "act of God" to describe a mishap that resulted from human negligence, poor maintenance or foreseeable technical errors. For instance, a dam breaking due to lack of repairs is a human failure, not an "act of God".

How to use

Learn how to use "act of God" with practical examples and tips.

How to use

Linguistic Context

The phrase "act of God" functions primarily as a noun phrase used to categorize specific events within a causal framework. According to Ludwig, it often appears after the verb "to be" or as the object of a preposition (e.g., "caused by an act of God"). It serves to label an occurrence as external to human agency.

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "act of God" is a well-established and highly versatile idiom used to describe natural events beyond human control. Ludwig AI confirms that it is frequently found in high-authority sources such as The New York Times and The New Yorker, where it often appears in legal, insurance and journalistic contexts. While it carries a theological origin, its application today is largely secular, serving as a standard term for shifting liability or emphasizing the magnitude of a natural occurrence. Writers should ensure they do not use it to mask human negligence and should maintain the capitalization of "God" to follow standard idiomatic conventions. For a more neutral alternative, one might consider "natural disaster", though "act of God" remains the preferred choice in formal contracts and classic prose.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

force majeure

a broader legal term that includes human-induced events like war or strikes

vis major

the Latin equivalent often used in formal legal writing

natural disaster

specifically describes environmental catastrophes without theological connotations

fortuitous event

emphasizes the element of chance and lack of predictability

unavoidable accident

focuses on the inability to prevent the occurrence despite reasonable care

unforeseen contingency

a more administrative and neutral way to describe unexpected events

inevitable casualty

places emphasis on the certainty of the outcome once the event occurs

divine intervention

shifts focus to a purposeful supernatural action rather than just a natural one

casuistry of nature

a more poetic or philosophical way to describe the whims of the natural world

supernatural occurrence

implies an event that defies the laws of physics entirely

FAQs

What is the legal meaning of an "act of God"?

In legal terms, an "act of God" refers to a natural event such as a flood or earthquake that cannot be prevented by human foresight. It is often cited as a reason to be exempt from a contract, similar to "force majeure".

Can I use "natural disaster" instead of "act of God"?

Yes, you can use "natural disaster" if you want to avoid religious terminology or if you are specifically referring to environmental events.

Should "God" be capitalized in this phrase?

Yes, in the standard idiom "act of God", the word "God" is traditionally capitalized because it refers to the singular deity of monotheistic traditions, regardless of the writer's personal beliefs.

Is an "act of God" the same as an "accident"?

Not exactly; while an "unavoidable accident" can be caused by humans, an "act of God" must be purely the result of natural forces.