Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

preordain

[pree-awr-deyn]
See more synonyms for preordain on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to ordain beforehand; foreordain.
Show More

Origin of preordain

First recorded in 1525–35; pre- + ordain
Related formspre·or·di·na·tion [pree-awr-dn-ey-shuh n] /ˌpri ɔr dnˈeɪ ʃən/, nounun·pre·or·dained, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for preordained

predetermine, foretell, bless, doom, foreordain, predestine

Examples from the Web for preordained

Contemporary Examples of preordained

Historical Examples of preordained

  • Whatever may befall thee, it was preordained for thee from everlasting.

    Familiar Quotations

    John Bartlett

  • And the now conscious stars have preordained this moment for my happiness.

    The Beaux-Stratagem

    George Farquhar

  • Whatever may befall thee, it was preordained for thee from ——.

    English Synonyms and Antonyms

    James Champlin Fernald

  • It is preordained that I am to be nothing but a cumberer of the ground.

    My Lady Ludlow

    Elizabeth Gaskell

  • Barbara knew that whether she was late or punctual had been preordained.

    Lady Lilith

    Stephen McKenna

British Dictionary definitions for preordained

preordain

verb
  1. (tr) to ordain, decree, or appoint beforehand
Show More
Derived Formspreordination (ˌpriːɔːdɪˈneɪʃən), 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

Word Origin and History for preordained

preordain

v.

1530s, from pre- + ordain (q.v.). Related: Preordained; preordaining.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper