preordain

American  

[pree-awr-deyn] / ˌpri ɔrˈdeɪn /

verb (used with object)

1. to ordain beforehand; foreordain.

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preordain British  

/ ˌpriːɔːdɪˈneɪʃən, ˌpriːɔːˈdeɪn /

verb

1. (tr) to ordain, decree, or appoint beforehand

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Other Word Forms

• preordination noun
• unpreordained adjective

Etymology

Origin of preordain

First recorded in 1525–35; pre- + ordain

Example Sentences

“It is a kangaroo tribunal, presided over by an unelected government, whose purpose is to deliver a preordained guilty verdict and to discredit a political opponent,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal

People come into their careers with a preordained notion of what work they’re going to do.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ejae, meanwhile, offered an anecdote that suggests “Golden’s” success may have been preordained.

From Los Angeles Times

Daddis believes that “a twisted relation with faith and fear, if left unbroken, can only preordain the nation to a militarized way of life bounded by the grimness of war.”

From Salon

That Los Angeles would someday overtake San Francisco in prominence was in some respects preordained.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• foretell
• predetermine