predetermined 1 of 2

Definition of predeterminednext

predetermined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of predetermine

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 predetermined
Adjective
As the name suggests, a prescribed fire is when a predetermined area is purposely burned under certain pre-planned conditions. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Feb. 2026 Of course, these lines of inquiry are wholly blocked if the agents remain masked and thus functionally invisible, and investigations are controlled and steered to a predetermined conclusion. Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026 Typically, the show features a segment inspired by the classic film where Indy is chased by a barreling boulder down a predetermined track. Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025 Her takeaway from the experience is a message aimed directly at women who feel stuck, uncertain, or pressured to follow a predetermined timeline. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025 Not only because the television arm of the Star Wars machine seems to be dying down, or because few series will get $650 million for two seasons, or even because prequels are notoriously difficult to pull off — especially prequels with a main character’s death as a predetermined endpoint. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025 Everyone knows where the story is going, and whatever growth takes place along the way needs to reach the predetermined maturity of what’s already known. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025 Once all spots are sold, the breaker opens the box live online, revealing which cards go to which participant based on the predetermined assignments. Mark Billingsley, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025 That feeling of walking into a room and having people turn to you with a predetermined respect. Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
Some items now available at the fest, which began Jan 30, will go away at a predetermined (and published) date, replaced by other items that will, in turn, be bumped for a third option. Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026 The outcome is essentially predetermined, having been set behind closed doors by party insiders weeks before ballots are cast. Grace Rauh, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026 Someone genetically predetermined to live 80 years could reach 85 with healthy habits, while unhealthy lifestyle choices can shorten that expectancy to 75. Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 29 Jan. 2026 The outcome feels predetermined. Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026 Pricing is predetermined by TaskEasy using public property details and the consumer’s description of the job that needs to be done. Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026 But all of these interactions were quickly imbued with a set, predetermined meaning. Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025 And in an outcome that felt predetermined, Jasmine won the final despite coming in third in the technical, a madeleine-tower challenge. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025 When the destination is predetermined, the journey matters that much more. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predetermined
Verb
  • This is destined to bring serious trouble to healthcare in Connecticut.
    Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Brown was a five-star running back destined for the University of Georgia back then in the early 2000s, his mind focused on the Bulldogs and the NFL.
    D. Orlando Ledbetter, AJC.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • But those who don’t learn from history are too often doomed to repeat it.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Bernthal plays doomed Sonny, who’s hoping to pay for his lover’s gender-affirming operation; his longtime pal and costar on The Bear plays volatile Sal, the loneliest guy in the world.
    Jenny Lumet, Vanity Fair, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The Tuesday night development in the case comes hours after the release of doorbell camera footage of a possible suspect in the disappearance.
    Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.
    CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • As major league owners meet this week to plot strategy, the powers that be will consider the probable push for a salary cap.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
  • However, the evidence points to the latter as being the probable origin.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • What unfolds next is both foreordained and unpredictable: a performance superficially the same as any other rendition of the same score, but also profoundly different — wondrous, perhaps, or merely rote.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024
  • The film is a tragedy in which everything comes out right: Coppola builds his protagonist’s absurd overreach into a foreordained happy ending, and the movie itself is a happy outcome from the very start.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Predetermined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predetermined. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

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