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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Like the nun Beate before her, Susanna seems destined, as punishment for her overwhelming ardor, to be walled into the convent.—
Caroline Lillian Schopp,
Artforum,
13 May 2026
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The Spurs already feel destined for perennial future success because of Wembanyama.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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According to his biography on the New York archdiocese website, Dolan was ordained into the priesthood by the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on June 19, 1976.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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Though several unlicensed Beatles archives exist around the United Kingdom—including in the band’s Liverpool hometown—the new one, formally named The Beatles at 3 Savile Row, is the first to be officially ordained by the band and its label, Apple Corps.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Irwin, at first, looks like the protagonist of the film, a naive man who has faith in hard work and straight shooting and providing a better life for his kids, and who seems doomed to be pushed into terrible things.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
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What’s doomed the Rays in recent years has been injuries, particularly to their starting pitchers — five top Rays starters had Tommy John surgery since 2020 and two of their current starters, Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen have had multiple TJ surgeries.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Bannister presents five random strangers on a train, one of whom is fated to die in the next five minutes.—
Diya Chacko,
Oc Register,
18 May 2026
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Of course, such a peaceful experience can seem impossible when one’s eyes and bones and skull ache deeply during another night spent in the torture chamber (aka the bed), yet surrendering to fate really is all there is.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordain. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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