as in accident
the belief that everything that will happen has already been predetermined and cannot be changed
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Recent Examples of predestination
Request a Demo Rorty’s version of redemption stands out against certain religious strands in that it is explicitly set against predestination or essentialism.
—
Big Think, 14 June 2024
This is a fun twist on the ancient idea of prophecy or predestination and, as such, makes for some compelling narrative uses—for a while, anyway.
—Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
Entertainment Score: 7 Science Score: 9 Arrival (2016) Enlarge / Denis Villeneuve's first foray into sci-fi offers a fun twist on the ancient idea of prophesy or predestination.
—Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
In a place where both psychohistory and predestination exist, how much does personal choice matter?
—Marah Eakin, WIRED, 14 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for predestination
Big Think, 14 June 2024
This is a fun twist on the ancient idea of prophecy or predestination and, as such, makes for some compelling narrative uses—for a while, anyway.
—Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
Entertainment Score: 7 Science Score: 9 Arrival (2016) Enlarge / Denis Villeneuve's first foray into sci-fi offers a fun twist on the ancient idea of prophesy or predestination.
—Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023
In a place where both psychohistory and predestination exist, how much does personal choice matter?
—Marah Eakin, WIRED, 14 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for predestination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predestination
Noun
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After losing her 6-year-old daughter to a tragic accident, one mother honored her child through friendship bracelets at the 2024 Era’s Tour Comments Diane Harrell lost her daughter, Isla Grace, in March 2024 after a tragic accident involving a drunk driver.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Giuffre had been in a contentious divorce with her husband, Robert, and had recently been injured in a car accident in Australia.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While Bryson has always had Jamar around for advice and guidance, the elder Nesbit has seen his son take control of his destiny.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Apr. 2025
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If the small distance between the white dwarfs wasn't evidence enough of their doomed destiny, their combined mass certainly sealed their fate.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Of all the hazards a golf course might face, a parking lot affair by the recycling bin wasn't exactly on the scorecard for Skylinks at Buchanan Fields in California.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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Could eating a spicy tuna roll for lunch once a week actually come with safety hazards?—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Those hoping for a significantly cheaper way to buy Gemini Advanced will probably be out of luck.—
Paul Monckton,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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The less credibility those have, the more likely that Putin will be tempted to try his luck with round three.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Their first trial ended in a mistrial, when jurors couldn't agree on their fate.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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As the dust settles on season 1 of the series, the fate of Double K is still up in the air.—
Francesca Gariano,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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On this topic, other uses dug up some of these pictures that were less than well-reviewed: The rationale here, on some level at least, appears to be trying to discount him winning Best Actor as more of a piece of happenstance, rather than consistent talent.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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Their friendship also started out of happenstance.—
Nathan Solis,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The more Hutson figures it out, the better the Canadiens’ chances become of pulling off an upset against the Capitals.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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The 70-year-old cardinal from Veneto, who became the youngest Vatican secretary of state in 84 years in 2013, when Pope Francis chose him for the role, tops a list of potential candidates, with a 29 percent chance of being chosen as the next pope.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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They were in fact treated like psychic seismographs, picking up disturbances and instability, prophecies of good fortune or doom.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2025
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Music seizes the reins and detonates the studied historicity viewers expect from stories about 20th-century music, pausing to highlight points the reader normally catches in articles about a movie rather than scenes in it: Yes, the blues begat both DOOM and doom.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predestination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predestination. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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