preordained 1 of 2

preordained

2 of 2

verb

past tense of preordain

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 preordained
Verb
The literary poster child for the old type of soldier was Ernest Hemingway, who, like many men of his generation, had preordained military service as a child. Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026 Experts say the outcome of the review seems preordained, although the matter is playing out in unexplored legal territory. Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 Just because there is some constraint, doesn’t mean that your path has to be preordained. Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Whatever happened—injury, illness, flood, or drought—felt preordained, part of God’s grand scheme. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026 Given the slow start to his pro career, a spot at the World Cup, never mind the starting nod, was far from preordained. Sean Gregory, Time, 10 June 2026 The purchase seems preordained, given that both Gert-Jan and Corinne, like Pascon and Boccara, are lively and curious intellectuals. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 What wasn’t preordained is just how beautifully executed the entire venture turns out to be. Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026 Will this year’s Oscar awards be another fait accompli, a bloated snoozer that’s as boring and seemingly preordained as this year’s Super Bowl? Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preordained
Adjective
  • Now, academic visa holders will instead be able to stay in the country for a predetermined period of time, generally four years.
    Abigail Boggs, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The attacker is no longer simply automating a predetermined sequence of steps.
    Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • As things stand, the imperial family will continue as long as 19-year-old prince Hisahito, destined for the throne, one day has a son.
    Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Stage six’s partly-gravel climb up the Puerto El Bartalo will surely be too tough for him, but Saturday’s flat finish in Xeraco already seems destined to end in a Brennan victory.
    Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Her foray into television, which started in 2017, was not exactly foreordained.
    Tammy LaGorce, New York Times, 14 May 2024
  • With all of those movements, when the central issue was really crystallized as a choice between what is clearly right and just, and what is clearly unjust and wrong and deadly and dangerous, then the outcome becomes foreordained.
    Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
  • Kelly finds the public’s current craving for unique genre storytelling encouraging, but feels that like most trends, it may be doomed to impermanence.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the Swift observatory is doomed to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere later this year.
    Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • In retrospect, Sumner seemed predestined to become a famous abolitionist lawyer.
    Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • Christo and Jeanne-Claude disregarded all threats of legal action, directing Running Fence to complete its predestined voyage into the sea.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The Episcopal Church has allowed women to be in ministry since 1974, and Ashby was ordained by Lamb.
    Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So what if the credulous smallfolk now believe that the Usurper’s rule is ordained by the Gods?
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Sunlight Place the plant in a sunny window, south-facing if possible, and give it four to six hours of sunlight each day.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Carley Garner, a commodity market strategist and broker at DeCarley Trading, said smaller futures and oil ETFs such as the United States Oil Fund (ticker USO) have made speculation possible for traders at almost any level of experience or funding.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • That description equally well applies to our probable timeline on this planet, the way things are progressing.
    Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The more probable future is a heterogeneous computing environment where classical high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum processors collaborate.
    Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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