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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For so long this season, Arsenal were flying high at the summit of the division and looked destined to end their 22-year wait for the title.—
Nnamdi Onyeagwara,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Now the real work begins With the Las Vegas Raiders set to pick first in the NFL Draft this year, Mendoza appears destined for Sin City.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Leo was ordained as an Augustinian priest in 1982.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
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Leo grew up, was educated and then ordained in the States but spent decades as a church leader elsewhere, including in poor areas of South America.—
Bill Barrow,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Armenian government’s new embrace of Israel is just the latest move that could help doom the increasingly unpopular Pashinyan government, which first came to power in a pro-democracy revolution in 2018.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Apr. 2026
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In all, that’s quite a record, one that might doom another Democrat’s candidacy.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But with challenges or recent decisions across multiple circuits, experts say the fight is fated for the Supreme Court.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
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The results are not pre-selected by some conspiracy, nor are they fated.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordain. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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