as in destined
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as in doomed
to determine the fate of in advance
my wife and I are such soulmates, I'm convinced that our marriage was preordained
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preordained
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
Some might assume that Gooding’s Hollywood career was preordained.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026
Sports are inherently fraught with tension, but some seem preordained to it more than others.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
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
No team in history has won between 38 and 40 games for four straight seasons, yet for the Bulls, this feels almost preordained.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
Will this year’s Oscar awards be another fait accompli, a bloated snoozer that’s as boring and seemingly preordained as this year’s Super Bowl?
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
Some might assume that Gooding’s Hollywood career was preordained.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026
Sports are inherently fraught with tension, but some seem preordained to it more than others.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
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
No team in history has won between 38 and 40 games for four straight seasons, yet for the Bulls, this feels almost preordained.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preordained
Verb
-
While Nikola Jokic appears destined to finish behind Victor Wembanyama in the MVP voting, another race remains very much in doubt.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Earlier this month, several outlets covered how garments destined for brands were piling up at airports in Bangladesh and India after Gulf carriers cancelled flights, with more than half of Bangladesh’s air cargo typically moving through Gulf hubs.—
Assef Shaikh,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
What started in December of last year has grown to multiple events where hundreds of underage children decide to meet at a predetermined area, such as a shopping mall or park.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The shrapnel came from an M795 round that had been paired with an M767A1 fuze, which was meant to electronically detonate the round at a predetermined point, the report said.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For while their stories live on, history may not be doomed to repeat them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Is Trump citizenship order doomed?—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
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
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
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
Adjective
-
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
What is expected to be the biggest gathering of possible Democratic 2028 presidential hopefuls is set to happen at the convention for the National Action Network, an organization dedicated to fighting for civil rights and equality.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Initially listed as probable, White got downgraded to questionable following the Hornets’ morning shootaround.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Even before the rule takes hold, people are mourning a probable casualty.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preordained. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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