as in to destine
to determine the fate of in advance
my wife and I are such soulmates, I'm convinced that our marriage was preordained
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 preordain
And there again Tuesday morning stood those four teams in the current East play-in bracket, as if preordained to have to fight their way into the playoffs through the pre-playoffs.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
The forward march of East Asian animation from pop celebration to prestige recognition is not preordained.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
But 36–23 still taunts and tantalizes us, a magical missing score that reminds every Scorigami devotee that what’s possible isn’t preordained.
—Josh Levin, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Fans may respond as if the song is preordained; the results of the storyline are not.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preordain
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
The forward march of East Asian animation from pop celebration to prestige recognition is not preordained.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
But 36–23 still taunts and tantalizes us, a magical missing score that reminds every Scorigami devotee that what’s possible isn’t preordained.
—Josh Levin, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Fans may respond as if the song is preordained; the results of the storyline are not.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preordain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preordain
Verb
-
Even those who win court awards or settlements against Prospect seem destined to be treated as unsecured claims in the company’s bankruptcy.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
9 Apr. 2026
-
No teams are destined to win anymore, except for maybe a 1 seed against a 16 seed.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Is Trump citizenship order doomed?—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Perhaps the international biennial is not doomed to fade away like the art of the medieval troubadour or the magic-lantern show.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cook, ordained in the United Church of Christ, is principal of Faith in the Public Square.—
Peter Cook,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The first woman to become an Anglican priest was Florence Li Tim-Oi of Hong Kong, who was ordained in Zhaoqing, China, in 1944.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Landscape painters, lithographers, and photographers introduced Easterners to the Romantic West of sublime landscapes filled with tow-ering peaks and deep canyons and Indians who seemed to exist only in small numbers, fated to disappear as American pioneers swept westward.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Elsewhere, the Dolphins are engaged in a full-on tank, and the Jets are the Jets, fated for failure until further notice.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preordain. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
