- past tense form of predestine.
- past participle of predestine.
predestined
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of predestined
First recorded in 1540–50; predestine + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; predestine + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb
Explanation
Predestined means decided by fate. If you believe the universe wants you to be a famous singer, you can say you're predestined to be a star. The word predestined means "decided or determined in advance." It comes directly from the Latin word praedestinare, which means “determine beforehand." It’s a word that’s popular in religious doctrine, where there’s a lot of attention paid to what the future holds and to what people should do and why. When something is predestined, it has been determined beforehand, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.
Vocabulary lists containing predestined
Much Ado About Nothing
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: pre-
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Novel Study: 1984, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His paintings and ceramics are layered and collage-like, driven by instinct rather than by a predestined end point.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Twins are considered a blessing in Yoruba culture and their names are predestined.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
But for Escola, it seemed almost predestined, spoken into the universe so frequently it had to become true.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2025
Still, there is no convincing some siblings who insist their birth order has predestined their role in the family.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024
Once my aunt found a freckle on her chin, at a spot that the almanac said predestined her for unhappiness.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
