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
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Anchored inside the iconic glass-and-steel Sea Containers building (once destined for transatlantic trade)—this hotel is part floating fantasy, part urban playground.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Joachim Trier, Paul Thomas Anderson and Celine Song are among her dream collaborators, and if Wright’s judgement is anything to go by, Cooke is destined for the best.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The heart of the story involves a romantic epiphany that’s also an unspoken recognition of homosexual desire; Michèle’s matchmaking scheme is a vicarious replacement for something that’s doomed to go unfulfilled.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
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Bayrou deserves a share of the blame, as his attempts to muster support for €44 billion in drastic spending cuts were doomed from the outset.—
Cole Stangler,
Time,
9 Sep. 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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About 20 seconds later, the return capsule separated from the escape tower at a predetermined altitude.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Sweet Spot charges per ounce, rather than charging by a predetermined cost.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordained. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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