foreordained
adjective
fore·or·dained
ˌfȯr-ȯr-ˈdānd 
: destined or ordained in advance
a foreordained outcome
This device is commonplace, almost foreordained, in tales of doomed heroes …—
John Crowley
John CrowleyExamples of foreordained in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As Robinson notes, the story had to go this way because Jacob has a foreordained task in becoming one of the patriarchs of Israel.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
For all the talk of Senate traditions, the outcome seems pretty foreordained if the Democrats win a majority and the intractable McConnell continues as GOP leader.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 17 Aug. 2020
And that success is far from foreordained.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 4 Aug. 2022
Political forecasters said a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in November’s congressional election looked almost foreordained.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2022
Unsurprisingly, the foreordained incursion takes place.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2022
Few believe a war is imminent or foreordained, in part because the economic and diplomatic aftershocks would be staggering for China.
—New York Times, 9 Oct. 2021
That unfortunately seems the foreordained outcome of the Senate trial.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 8 Feb. 2021
China’s rise to global power is neither inevitable nor foreordained.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2022
James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
For all the talk of Senate traditions, the outcome seems pretty foreordained if the Democrats win a majority and the intractable McConnell continues as GOP leader.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 17 Aug. 2020
And that success is far from foreordained.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 4 Aug. 2022
Political forecasters said a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in November’s congressional election looked almost foreordained.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2022
Unsurprisingly, the foreordained incursion takes place.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2022
Few believe a war is imminent or foreordained, in part because the economic and diplomatic aftershocks would be staggering for China.
—New York Times, 9 Oct. 2021
That unfortunately seems the foreordained outcome of the Senate trial.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 8 Feb. 2021
China’s rise to global power is neither inevitable nor foreordained.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foreordained.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near foreordained
Cite this Entry
“Foreordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreordained. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share