predestined

American

[pri-des-tind] / prɪˈdɛs tɪnd /

adjective

destined in advance; foreordained; predetermined.

Many circumstances combined to mark out the English colonies of America as the predestined seat of a great free nation.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of predestine.

Other Word Forms

unpredestined adjective

Etymology

Origin of predestined

First recorded in 1540–50; predestine + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; predestine + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

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.

Which begs the question, was HS2 predestined to encounter major problems simply on the basis of the UK's geography and political system?

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2025

But for Escola, it seemed almost predestined, spoken into the universe so frequently it had to become true.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 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

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

It was curious how that predestined horror moved in and out of one’s consciousness.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023