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

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Recent Examples of ordain He was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1985 and was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree in 2010. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for ordain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordain

Verb

Borussia Dortmund As ever, there is a certain fatalism to Borussia Dortmund’s season at home, destined to be not quite good enough to overhaul the mighty Bayern.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Some members openly questioned whether having a democratic socialist run a city seemingly destined for the dumpster was the best look for their movement.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of destine

Verb

Earlier this year, Johnson ordered Chicago police to collect evidence for possible felony charges against agents.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Dialogue comes from recordings with native speakers, and lessons focus on real-world scenarios like ordering food or navigating an airport instead of vocabulary drills.

— StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of order

Verb

Carrie Schmidt and Kimberly Twente were among a group of residents behind the petition seeking to enact a ban on large data centers in Edgerton.

— Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
What started in one state court has now spread across the country, with a plethora of athletes filing lawsuits against the NCAA, and now SEC, over new guidelines enacted pertaining to the five-for-five eligibility.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of enact

Verb

But a design flaw in the parachute system, and a fairly basic one at that, doomed the Genesis spacecraft.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Trailing by 20 points in the third quarter, the Carroll Dragons (1-1) were doomed by the Panthers’ stout defense that claimed five takeaways.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of doom

Verb

But hey, this is a girl who requested that her college graduation gift be a trip to see the HOF in Canton.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Under such a contract, customers (like the Navy) will request Seasat to supply the boats, launch them, maintain them, operate the autonomous system, and presumably provide the sensor/data service.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026