as in preordained
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as in destined
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 foreordained
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024
The film is a tragedy in which everything comes out right: Coppola builds his protagonist’s absurd overreach into a foreordained happy ending, and the movie itself is a happy outcome from the very start.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2024
Her foray into television, which started in 2017, was not exactly foreordained.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 14 May 2024
And that success is far from foreordained.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 4 Aug. 2022
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
Yet even now, Deng’s warning holds: an Asian century is neither inevitable nor foreordained.
—Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2020
Adjective
What unfolds next is both foreordained and unpredictable: a performance superficially the same as any other rendition of the same score, but also profoundly different — wondrous, perhaps, or merely rote.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024
The film is a tragedy in which everything comes out right: Coppola builds his protagonist’s absurd overreach into a foreordained happy ending, and the movie itself is a happy outcome from the very start.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2024
Her foray into television, which started in 2017, was not exactly foreordained.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 14 May 2024
And that success is far from foreordained.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 4 Aug. 2022
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
Yet even now, Deng’s warning holds: an Asian century is neither inevitable nor foreordained.
—Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreordained
Verb
-
These stories don’t require any element of surprise; the appeal of this kind of romance is built on anticipation, on our expectation that people who are destined to be together will in fact get together.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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Per reports, the 29-year-old, who once seemed destined to be at the top of golf's world rankings, will play in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some prominent critics blamed American socialists for their own marginality or viewed their cause as doomed by conditions particular to the nation’s history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Beck’s overtime interception against SMU essentially doomed UM’s chances.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Many were spurred on by religious fervor and the concept of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the Christian God had ordained that White settlers should colonize North America, from sea to shining sea.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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He was ordained in 1976, and has served in various positions over his 40 years serving the Catholic Church, including director of Catholic Charities and director of the Haitian Apostolate, according to the Archdiocese of Miami website.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Everyone knows where the story is going, and whatever growth takes place along the way needs to reach the predetermined maturity of what’s already known.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
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Once all spots are sold, the breaker opens the box live online, revealing which cards go to which participant based on the predetermined assignments.—
Mark Billingsley,
Sacbee.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordained. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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