ORDAINING Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

ordaining

verb

present participle of ordain

as in destining

to determine the fate of in advance he is stoic in the face of adversity, bolstered by his faith that everything in life has been ordained by a higher power

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in ordering

to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority a new bill that would ordain the funding of public schools through state lottery revenues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in enacting

to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action the founders of the African republic ordained a form of government that was closely modeled on that of the United States

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ordaining The church began ordaining women as priests in the 1980s, beginning with Lucia Okuthe of the diocese of Maseno South in 1983. — Stephanie Triplettall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 The Vatican said dialogue was offered to the group ahead of the schism and that the step of ordaining bishops without ⁠church approval was considered so grave that excommunication was automatic. — Reuters, NBC news, 5 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordaining

Verb

The mission to save NASA’s sinking Swift Observatory has been called off, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year.

— Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
The mission to save NASA's sinking Swift Observatory was called off Wednesday, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year.

— CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of dooming

Verb

Odysseus ended up lashing himself to the mast and ordering his crew to plug their ears with wax.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Ezequiel ‘Wicked’ Romo reinvented Blythe Street as an enforcement arm for the Mexican Mafia, directing business and ordering murders from his prison cell.

— Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of ordering

Verb

Tomlin, Fonda and Parton played a trio of secretaries who took revenge on their sexist boss by kidnapping him and enacting changes in the workplace in his name.

— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The appeal came less than 24 hours after Talwani issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking parts of USPS’s new rule enacting new guardrails on mail-in voting in the name of election security.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of enacting

Verb

Picture Angel Reese grabbing a rebound and passing to Caitlin Clark, who then fires down the floor to Paige Bueckers, who drives to the goal and fools the help defender with a dish to the best player on the planet.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
At their best, the offense was a sheer powerhouse—Dak Prescott threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns, ranking among the league's top passing leaders while feeding a dominant receiving corps.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of passing

Browse Nearby Words

ordained

ordaining

ordains

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ordaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordaining. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ordaining

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes