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
-
Surely, being a prophet destined to die on the cross would be a painful vocation, and the film refuses to look away from this pain.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
-
Legend says that tourists who grind their heels on the bull's testicles and spin in place three times are guaranteed good fortune and are destined to return to the city.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The other thing that doomed them to a seventh loss in their past eight games is akin to a crack in their foundation.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
-
Consider that internal Republican opposition doomed last year’s effort to preempt state laws, a debate that feels like light years away from the more bipartisan conversation that’s already happening.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
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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
-
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
Adjective
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According to Olson, the podcast does not attempt to force a predetermined conclusion, but instead reexamines the case using modern forensic reconstruction technology and fresh expert analysis.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
-
According to the piece, the wide-open nature of the race is healthy for democratic participation and has yielded the most competitive gubernatorial contest in approximately 25 years, allowing voters meaningful choice rather than having a predetermined outcome.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordained. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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