ordain

[ awr-deyn ]

See synonyms for: ordain ordained on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to invest with ministerial, priestly, or rabbinical functions.
to enact or establish by law, edict, etc.: to ordain a new type of government.

to decree; give orders for: He ordained that the restrictions were to be lifted.
(of God, fate, etc.) to destine or predestine: Fate had ordained the meeting.

verb (used without object)

to order or command: Thus do the gods ordain.
to select for or appoint to an office.

to invest someone with sacerdotal functions.

Origin of ordain

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ordeinen, from Old French ordener, from Latin ordināre “to order, arrange, appoint”; see ordination

Other words for ordain

3	order, prescribe, determine
4	predetermine

See synonyms for ordain on Thesaurus.com

Other words from ordain

or·dain·a·ble, adjective
or·dain·er, noun
or·dain·ment, noun
re·or·dain, verb (used with object)
self-or·dain·er, noun
su·per·or·dain, verb (used without object)
un·or·dain·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby ordain

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

How to use ordain in a sentence

According to its ideology, the revolution was a means for Shia clergy to prepare for the long-awaited return of the Twelfth divinely ordained Shia Imam and descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Why Iran’s Elections Are a Critical Turning Point for Khamenei’s Regime | Kasra Aarabi | June 16, 2021 | Time
My belief is that come September, we will see that the belief that inflation was ordained is completely incorrect, because debt generated by fiscal policy is inherently disinflationary or deflationary.
Mortgage rates wander higher but remain below 3 percent | Kathy Orton | June 3, 2021 | Washington Post
That whole journey was about 10 years of going away and training to become a monk and then train as a novice monk and eventually becoming a fully ordained monk.
The Monk Who’s Helping the World Navigate Meditation, One Day at a Time | Pallabi Munsi | April 30, 2021 | Ozy
To Schlafly and her allies then, the military reflected a God-ordained, natural balance, and the ERA threatened to upend it.
Men-only Selective Service registration may end soon, but the fight will remain | Heather Stur | April 15, 2021 | Washington Post
The Mandarin word yuánfèn, 缘分, refers to a relationship ordained by fate or destiny.
Why Is Making Friends So Hard? | Nick | April 11, 2021 | Ozy

And no religious denomination should be forced to ordain gays or women as priests, right?
Why Progressives Just Woke Up and Killed ENDA | Jay Michaelson | July 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The letter also ordered her to “take down www.ordainwomen.org and disassociat[e] yourself from ordain Women.”
Excommunication With a Smile: Mormon Feminist Kicked Out of the Church | Emily Shire | June 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Kate Kelly, the leader of ordain Women, was officially excommunicated.
Excommunication With a Smile: Mormon Feminist Kicked Out of the Church | Emily Shire | June 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The ordain Women website posted some of Harrison's email to Kelly informing her of her excommunication.
Excommunication With a Smile: Mormon Feminist Kicked Out of the Church | Emily Shire | June 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Among other things, Weiss had the beautiful chutzpah to ordain Orthodox women.
The Chief Rabbinate Proves Jews Would Be Better Off without It | Gershom Gorenberg | October 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
They say they ordain and establish it; we do not speak of ordaining leagues and compacts.
Nullification, Secession Webster's Argument and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions | Caleb William Loring
It is very proper to say, too, I suppose, that it is an imposition when the bishops ordain the ministers?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXVIII. February, 1843. Vol. LIII. | Various
The bishops will ordain no persons whose names have not been submitted to the Government and approved by it.
The War Upon Religion | Rev. Francis A. Cunningham
"The deities ordain and the balance weighs; your reward will be the greater," replied Ten-teh.
Kai Lung's Golden Hours | Ernest Bramah
The government they aimed at was not democracy, but theocracy: "God never did ordain democracy as a fit government," said Cotton.
Atlantic Monthly, Vol. XII. September, 1863, No. LXXI. | Various

British Dictionary definitions for ordain

ordain

/ (ɔːˈdeɪn) /

verb(tr)

to consecrate (someone) as a priest; confer holy orders upon
(may take a clause as object) to decree, appoint, or predestine irrevocably

(may take a clause as object) to order, establish, or enact with authority
obsolete to select for an office

Origin of ordain

C13: from Anglo-Norman ordeiner, from Late Latin ordināre, from Latin ordo order

Derived forms of ordain

ordainer, noun
ordainment, 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

Browse