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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Life is destined to divide them and maybe that’s fine.—
Vanessa Franko,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Not every boss speaking in Davos was convinced that AI is destined to wreak havoc on labor markets just yet.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If your company spends millions upon millions on sports rights, and if your financial success depends on cable and satellite customers paying for a programming bundle that includes sports channels most viewers do not watch, you’re doomed.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The revelation of deep human ties, the belief that we are all equally chosen, doomed Liuzzo, Good, and Pretti, as revelation so often does.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Christo and Jeanne-Claude disregarded all threats of legal action, directing Running Fence to complete its predestined voyage into the sea.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Prevost was ordained the next June.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Tips for a Brazil Road Trip Divinely ordained or not, our journey left its mark.—
María Cristina Lalonde,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, these lines of inquiry are wholly blocked if the agents remain masked and thus functionally invisible, and investigations are controlled and steered to a predetermined conclusion.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Typically, the show features a segment inspired by the classic film where Indy is chased by a barreling boulder down a predetermined track.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordained. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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