predetermine

[ pree-di-tur-min ]

verb (used with object)

, pre·de·ter·mined, pre·de·ter·min·ing.

1. to settle or decide in advance:

   He had predetermined his answer to the offer.

2. to ordain in advance; predestine:

   She believed that God had predetermined her sorrow.

3. to direct or impel; influence strongly:

   His sympathy for poor people predetermined his choice of a career.

predetermine

/ ˌpriːdɪˈtɜːmɪn /

verb

1. to determine beforehand
2. to influence or incline towards an opinion beforehand; bias

Derived Forms

• ˌpredeˌtermiˈnation, noun
• ˌpredeˈterminer, noun
• ˌpredeˈterminative, adjective

Other Words From

• prede·termi·nation noun
• pre·de·ter·mi·na·tive [pree-di-, tur, -m, uh, -ney-tiv, -n, uh, -tiv], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of predetermine¹

First recorded in 1615–25; pre- + determine

Example Sentences

Paul has faced repeated and unsubstantiated accusations that his fights are predetermined, but he did suffer a loss to Briton Tommy Fury in 2020.

From BBC

No predetermined script to follow for what came next.

From Los Angeles Times

Sure, every insight along the way feels predetermined, even as the young star’s greatest strength lies in how his watchful eyes often betray little.

From Los Angeles Times

“This couldn’t be further from the truth. Nothing we said in the interview implied this conclusion, which leads me to believe the angle taken was predetermined.”

From Los Angeles Times

I’m not in any way “pie in the sky” about these realities, but I also recognize and actually trust in a belief that sometimes good things happen in ways that feel predetermined and fateful.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• predispose