predestined
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
The characters’ fate is predestined by cat-and-mouse conventions, and there are no big surprises when watching the parts come together.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026
"The programme emphasises that the genetic insights revealed in the films shed light on Hitler, but they don't tell us he was biologically predestined to behave in a particular way."
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
In the final scene of “Forrest Gump,” a white feather dances from Forrest’s feet, into the air, representing one of the movie’s major threads: Are life’s joys and agonies predestined, or are they indiscriminate?
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025
Artificial intelligence seems predestined to become a bigger part of our lives.
From Slate • Dec. 1, 2023
If Jefferson seemed predestined to tell people what they wanted to hear, Adams now acknowledged that his own destiny was just the opposite: to tell them what they needed to know.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions 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.
