Meanings
present singular third person foreordains · participle present foreordaining · participle past foreordained · past foreordained
- transitiveTo predestine or preordain.
What had Wyrd fore-ordained? Naegling blunted and this time broke into kindling.
1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 461 more example
God has made the decision before all time, so some are foreordained to be saved through grace – a predestined group of the elect.
2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 308
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishfor-orden
- Englishforeordain
From Middle English for-orden; equivalent to fore- + ordain; probably modeled on Latin praeordināre.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
foreordain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreordain
“foreordain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreordain. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foreordain,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreordain.
Source: foreordain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.