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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as in preordained
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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
Verb
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
-
In hindsight, Kempes — El Matador — was always destined to be the star of the tournament, having won the top goalscorer award in Spain in the two seasons leading up to the competition.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Entrepreneurs who start out with connections to an inner circle are all but destined to gain the right opportunities to achieve success.—
Sarah Maokosy,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But if your data is bad, your AI initiatives are doomed from the start.—
Brian Moore,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
High operation costs and noise concerns doomed the service, which ended in October 2003.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Qualified people who could be priests except for archaic laws that no longer serve us continue to wait to be invited into the ranks of those who have been ordained.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Aug. 2025
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The move also contrasts with Pope Francis, who said no to moving into the papal apartments when he was ordained in 2013, choosing instead a Vatican guesthouse.—
Greg Wehner , Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That feeling of walking into a room and having people turn to you with a predetermined respect.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Uber also penalizes its drivers who cancel trips and can deactivate their accounts if cancellation frequency reaches a predetermined threshold, the complaint states.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordained. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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