as in to destine
to determine the fate of in advance
we are such good friends, it's almost like we were foreordained to meet
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Recent Examples of foreordain
Wagner commented that in opera the orchestra should act as a medium of premonition, indicating what is foreordained but not yet foreseen.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreordain
Verb
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The Mavericks have now lost 11 of their last 13 and appear destined for the draft lottery at 23-47.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, Pixar’s Toy Story 5 and Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian & Grogu look destined for more traditional blockbuster rollouts rather than a Cannes bow.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Fisher grew up at Beth Am and even trained to be a rabbi there before becoming ordained.—
Lauren Costantino
March 14,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Shaleta, 69, was ordained a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Detroit in 1984.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Any proposal to increase taxes on that same November ballot — however justified — is almost certainly doomed, and might even add to the miasma of faux outrage that’s already surrounding the statewide tax cut.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
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The Daddy Issue Oscars This year’s big nominees are full of anxieties about fatherhood and whether we’re doomed to repeat the mistakes of those who’ve raised us.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If so, this romance will feel fated, as if it were meant to be.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2026
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Those who keep going aren’t always confident, or tougher than anyone else, or fated to a grand destiny.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordain. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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