foreordain

[ fawr-awr-deyn, fohr- ]

/ ˌfɔr ɔrˈdeɪn, ˌfoʊr- /

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See synonyms for: foreordain / foreordained on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to ordain or appoint beforehand.

to predestine; predetermine.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of foreordain

First recorded in 1400–50, foreordain is from the late Middle English word forordeinen.See fore-, ordain

OTHER WORDS FROM foreordain

fore·or·dain·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use foreordain in a sentence

They're obviously foreordained to be reactionary if Romney wins.
In One Way, an Equal Pox on Both Houses ($$$)|Michael Tomasky|October 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Mitt Romney sailing merrily toward a Republican nomination that many considered foreordained is not exciting.
Media Hype About Mitt Romney’s Iowa Showing Is Wrong|Peter Beinart|January 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We take it as our birthright to stumble upon the unexpected, improvised yet somehow foreordained fulfillment of our hopes.
The Strange Heritage of Columbus Day|Laurence Bergreen|October 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The victory over death thus achieved by the foreordained Redeemer of the race was positively and abundantly foretold.
The Vitality of Mormonism--Brief Essays|James E. Talmage

"I guess it was foreordained not to be," he admitted, in conclusion.
Empire Builders|Francis Lynde
Society has a right to prevent the oncoming of new generations of foreordained criminals.
The Meaning of Evolution|Samuel Christian Schmucker
But the time that was foreordained from the beginning of the world for the bursting-forth of my secret came at last.
Atlantic Monthly,Volume 14, No. 82, August, 1864|Various
They found that I was a foreordained and predestined victim, and industriously proceeded to make life miserable for me.
Theodore Roosevelt|Theodore Roosevelt

British Dictionary definitions for foreordain

foreordain

/ (ˌfɔːrɔːˈdeɪn) /

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object) to determine (events, results, etc) in the future

Derived forms of foreordain

foreordainment or foreordination (ˌfɔːrɔːdɪˈneɪʃən), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

foreordain

Origin of foreordain

OTHER WORDS FROM foreordain

Words related to foreordain

How to use foreordain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for foreordain

Derived forms of foreordain