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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Recent Examples of preordained
Sean Gregory, Time, 10 June 2026
The purchase seems preordained, given that both Gert-Jan and Corinne, like Pascon and Boccara, are lively and curious intellectuals.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
What wasn’t preordained is just how beautifully executed the entire venture turns out to be.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
Given the slow start to his pro career, a spot at the World Cup, never mind the starting nod, was far from preordained.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 10 June 2026
The purchase seems preordained, given that both Gert-Jan and Corinne, like Pascon and Boccara, are lively and curious intellectuals.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
What wasn’t preordained is just how beautifully executed the entire venture turns out to be.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preordained
Adjective
-
According to Olson, the podcast does not attempt to force a predetermined conclusion, but instead reexamines the case using modern forensic reconstruction technology and fresh expert analysis.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
-
According to the piece, the wide-open nature of the race is healthy for democratic participation and has yielded the most competitive gubernatorial contest in approximately 25 years, allowing voters meaningful choice rather than having a predetermined outcome.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
At a time when Hacks’s final season seems all but destined to receive a farewell Emmy in this category, with rivals like The Bear, Abbott Elementary, and Only Murders in the Building feeling too familiar to truly rock the boat, could a comedy-horror hybrid be the thing that actually jolts the race?—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 June 2026
-
With an ensemble including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Richard Bright, Abe Vigoda, and Bruno Kirby, the prequel was already destined to be memorable, but Coppola's sense of timing and rhythm makes the film feel like a true achievement even decades later.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 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
-
Bob Shrum, a longtime Democratic strategist and political science professor at the University of Southern California, is unconvinced that Steyer’s wealth doomed his candidacy.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
The asteroid impact that doomed the dinosaurs may also have built one of Earth's longest-lasting underground ecosystems.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
In retrospect, Sumner seemed predestined to become a famous abolitionist lawyer.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
According to his biography on the New York archdiocese website, Dolan was ordained into the priesthood by the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on June 19, 1976.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
Though several unlicensed Beatles archives exist around the United Kingdom—including in the band’s Liverpool hometown—the new one, formally named The Beatles at 3 Savile Row, is the first to be officially ordained by the band and its label, Apple Corps.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Hunters often lit blazing fires, which disoriented and frightened the elk, and as many animals as possible were killed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
The case initially iwas nvestigated as a possible drowning.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Patrick Mahomes looks probable to return for Week 1 in Kansas City, with reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III now in tow at running back.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
-
He was listed as probable on Thursday’s injury report ahead of Game 2.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preordained. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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