foreordain

[ fawr-awr-deyn, fohr- ]

verb (used with object)

1. to ordain or appoint beforehand.
2. to predestine; predetermine.

foreordain

/ ˌfɔːrɔːˈdeɪn; ˌfɔːrɔːdɪˈneɪʃən /

verb

1. tr; may take a clause as object to determine (events, results, etc) in the future

Derived Forms

• ˌforeorˈdainment, noun

Other Words From

• foreor·dainment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreordain¹

First recorded in 1400–50, foreordain is from the late Middle English word forordeinen. See fore-, ordain

Example Sentences

That sense of stability is a key asset for Putin as he orchestrates his foreordained victory in the March 15-17 presidential election for a fifth, six-year term.

From Seattle Times

It has been argued that many paths were possible in the Cambrian, and that the world we ended up with was not foreordained.

From Scientific American

The VPC space is now light and airy, with beeswax candles, adorable greeting cards, single-origin chocolate bars and the like also on offer; last Friday, Fleet Foxes played in a way that felt foreordained.

From Seattle Times

But in recent years, dozens of such governments have instead used courts, with verdicts foreordained, to publicly condemn their ousted adversaries and frighten others into submission.

From New York Times

The futility belonged to the rioters, whose violence and vandalism was an expression of dreampolitik rather than a coup — its plan for success nonexistent, its end in mass arrests and imprisonment foreordained.

From Seattle Times