as in to destine
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 foreordain
Wagner commented that in opera the orchestra should act as a medium of premonition, indicating what is foreordained but not yet foreseen.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreordain
Verb
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Rotterdam Unveils Nine World Premieres The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled a first wave of world premieres for its 2026 edition, announcing nine titles destined for its Bright Future and Harbour programming strands.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
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Gas prices, as measured by AAA, looked destined to break through the psychologically important $3-a-gallon level.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 1694, Jonathan Swift is ordained a deacon in the Church of Ireland.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Oct. 2025
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The teachings of the two traditions align on many major issues, but the Catholic Church does not ordain women and generally does not allow priests to marry.—
Joshua McElwee,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Celtics committed 10 turnovers before halftime, which helped doom them to an impossibly bad performance in defensive transition.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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But as Gooncultist emphasized, any attempt at a comprehensive, linear history of gooning is doomed to failure.—
Daniel Kolitz,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Schwerner was fated to go down in American history as one of the three Civil Rights workers murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi in 1964.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
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It’s fated for Anderson to thrive.—
Maya AlZaben,
Vogue,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordain. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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