preordain
preordain — verb
- preordainpresent simple I / you / we / they
- preordains3rd person singular
- preordaining-ing form
- preordainedpast simple
1. If a god, fate, or another unseen power preordains something, it has already dec
If a god, fate, or another unseen power preordains something, it has already decided that this thing will definitely happen, and nothing can prevent it from unfolding as planned.
The villagers believed that the harvest's success was preordained by the gods.
passive: be preordained by [higher power]
Erik felt his promotion was preordained, but Yara chose to create her own path.
contrast between belief and action
In Lara's family, it was preordained that the eldest child would run the business.
Samir did not believe that his future was already preordained by fate.
The ancient prophecy seemed to preordain the fall of the ruling dynasty.
- predestine
more religious or theological; implies divine choice from birth
- foreordain
rare and mostly used in formal religious writing
- predetermine
less mystical; can refer to human decisions made in advance
- prevent
to stop something from happening, the opposite of ordaining
文法句型
be + preordained + to-infinitive
be + preordained + that-clause
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice (be + preordained). The agent is typically a supernatural force (fate, destiny, gods) or a personified concept (prophecy, tradition). Active use is rare outside formal or literary writing.