foreordain

/'fɔ:rɔ:'dein/

Thân thiện

The council believed the outcome was foreordained.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To determine or decree in advance; to predestine: The act of deciding, settling, or appointing something before it happens, often implying an unchangeable outcome.
   • To foreordain by divine will or decree: Specifically, to predestine by a divine power or as part of a divine plan.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • Some religious doctrines foreordain that certain souls are destined for salvation.
  • The prophecy seemed to foreordain the hero's tragic fate.
  • We cannot claim that our meeting was foreordained; it was simply a fortunate coincidence.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Theological Context: Often used in religious or philosophical discussions about destiny, fate, and divine omniscience.
  • The concept of a foreordained plan is central to many belief systems.
• Formal/Literary Tone: The word carries a formal, weighty, and sometimes archaic connotation, suitable for academic or serious discourse.
  • The king's downfall was foreordained by the ancient curse.

Variants and Related Words

• Foreordination (noun): The action of foreordaining or the state of being foreordained; predestination.
  • The doctrine of foreordination is complex.
• Foreordained (adjective): Decreed or determined in advance.
  • He accepted his foreordained role.

Synonyms

• Predestine: To destine or determine beforehand.
• Predetermine: To establish or decide in advance.
• Decree: To order or command something authoritatively (often by fate or a higher power).
• Preordain: A direct synonym, meaning to ordain or appoint beforehand.

Antonyms

• Leave to chance: To allow randomness or accident to decide.
• Improvise: To create or perform spontaneously without preparation.

Notes on Meaning

• Distinction from 'Predict': To foreordain is to actively cause or decree a future event, not merely to foresee it. A prophet might an event, but a god might it.
• Implication of Inevitability: The word strongly implies that the outcome is fixed and unavoidable due to the prior decree.

Học thuật

Verb

1. foreordain or determine beforehand
2. foreordain by divine will or decree

Từ đồng nghĩa

• predestine
• preordain
• predestinate