as in to destine
to determine the fate of in advance
we are such good friends, it's almost like we were foreordained to meet
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 foreordain
Wagner commented that in opera the orchestra should act as a medium of premonition, indicating what is foreordained but not yet foreseen.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreordain
Verb
-
Should the Warriors want to play their 38-year-old superstar in the late stages of a campaign that appears destined to end in the play-in tournament?—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Zazie Beetz trained for months to pull off the admittedly jaw-dropping (and often jaw-shattering) fight sequences, and if every actor is now destined to become an action star for 15 minutes, the Atlanta veteran has earned her spotlight.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Island in 1994 and served as vicar general and pastor of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary before his 2021 appointment to Colorado Springs, according to the archdiocese.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The church ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Nationals tagged him for five runs in the fourth, and the Cubs’ lack of timely hits off starter Cade Cavalli and the Nationals bullpen doomed them in a 10-4 loss.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
All but doomed by six quick runs, the Padres lost 8-2.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Watch out for whatever is fated this go-around.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordain. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
