ORDAIN Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

ordain

verb

ȯr-ˈdān

Definition of ordain

as in to destine

to determine the fate of in advance he is stoic in the face of adversity, bolstered by his faith that everything in life has been ordained by a higher power

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to order

to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority a new bill that would ordain the funding of public schools through state lottery revenues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to enact

to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action the founders of the African republic ordained a form of government that was closely modeled on that of the United States

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ordain The ceremony was officiated by actor Adam Sandler, who is legally ordained. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 The Vatican said dialogue was offered to the group ahead of the schism and that the step of ordaining bishops without ⁠church approval was considered so grave that excommunication was automatic. — Reuters, NBC news, 5 July 2026 The Vatican said on July 2 that priests and lay Catholics who are part of a breakaway right-wing Catholic group that ordained bishops without Pope Leo's approval were in schism with the wider Church and now excommunicated. — Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 2 July 2026 Her parents, Baptist deacons who ultimately left the church over its refusal to ordain women, raised their children to wrestle with such questions. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for ordain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordain

Verb

Over the coming months, avionics, scientific instruments and thermal insulation will gradually transform the frame into the flying science laboratory destined for the outer solar system.

— Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Florian Maurice, the former Rennes technical director, is telling a story about Jeremy Jacquet and how the Frenchman was destined for the top.

— Gregg Evans, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of destine

Verb

The mission to save NASA's sinking Swift Observatory was called off Wednesday, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year.

— CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Fighting valiantly but doomed by a lack of supplies, soldiers surrendered the fort on this day in 1864, bringing the Battle of Mobile Bay to its end.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of doom

Verb

The ban has been in place long enough that an entire cohort of girls has passed through adolescence without stepping foot in a secondary school classroom.

— Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Still, there was always the latent threat that someday, even in the distant future, the broader mass of American citizenry would elect politicians and pass policies to explicitly target the oligarchs’ assets.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026