preordained 1 of 2

Definition of preordainednext

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
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 Some might assume that Gooding’s Hollywood career was preordained. Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026 Sports are inherently fraught with tension, but some seem preordained to it more than others. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026 And there again Tuesday morning stood those four teams in the current East play-in bracket, as if preordained to have to fight their way into the playoffs through the pre-playoffs. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026 The forward march of East Asian animation from pop celebration to prestige recognition is not preordained. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026 But 36–23 still taunts and tantalizes us, a magical missing score that reminds every Scorigami devotee that what’s possible isn’t preordained. Josh Levin, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025 Fans may respond as if the song is preordained; the results of the storyline are not. Tom Roland, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025 No team in history has won between 38 and 40 games for four straight seasons, yet for the Bulls, this feels almost preordained. John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preordained
Verb
  • While Nikola Jokic appears destined to finish behind Victor Wembanyama in the MVP voting, another race remains very much in doubt.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Earlier this month, several outlets covered how garments destined for brands were piling up at airports in Bangladesh and India after Gulf carriers cancelled flights, with more than half of Bangladesh’s air cargo typically moving through Gulf hubs.
    Assef Shaikh, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • What started in December of last year has grown to multiple events where hundreds of underage children decide to meet at a predetermined area, such as a shopping mall or park.
    Irene Wright, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
  • The shrapnel came from an M795 round that had been paired with an M767A1 fuze, which was meant to electronically detonate the round at a predetermined point, the report said.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Is Trump citizenship order doomed?
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Perhaps the international biennial is not doomed to fade away like the art of the medieval troubadour or the magic-lantern show.
    Daniel Birnbaum, Artforum, 2 Apr. 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
Verb
  • He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Island in 1994 and served as vicar general and pastor of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary before his 2021 appointment to Colorado Springs, according to the archdiocese.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The church ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015.
    Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 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
Adjective
  • If possible, set aside some time today to journal, listen to your favorite music, or just take a nap!
    Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
  • If trapped by moving water, seek the highest possible point and contact emergency services by calling 911.
    KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • In a March 31 probable-cause affidavit obtained by People, police reveal Woods had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket following his arrest for driving under the influence.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Fernandez was able to seek to overturn her conviction using Senate Bill 1437, a law that took effect in 2019 and allows people to seek resentencing if they were convicted of felony murder or under the natural and probable consequences doctrine.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preordained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preordained. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on preordained

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster