Definition

1. Verb:
   • To decide or determine something in advance; to foreordain.
   • To decree or determine beforehand, often by divine will or as if by fate.

Usage

• The verb "predestine" is used to describe the action of setting a fixed outcome for someone or something before it happens. It often implies an unchangeable course determined by a higher power (like God) or by fate.
• It is typically used in religious, philosophical, or literary contexts to discuss destiny or preordination.
• Common sentence structures: "to predestine someone/something for/to something" or passive voice "to be predestined to/for something".

Examples

• Verb:
  • Some religious doctrines teach that God predestines certain souls for salvation.
  • The ancient prophecy seemed to predestine the young prince for a tragic fate.
  • She felt her career path was predestined from a very young age.

Advanced Usage

• "to be predestined to": This phrase is commonly used in the passive voice to describe a seemingly inevitable outcome.
  • He believed he was predestined to become a great leader.
• Theological Usage: In Christian theology, particularly Calvinism, "predestine" specifically refers to God's eternal decree regarding the ultimate fate of individual souls.
  • The concept that God predestines individuals is a central tenet of that faith.

Variants and Related Words

• Predestination (n): The action of predestining someone or something; the doctrine that all events have been willed by God.
  • The debate over free will versus predestination has lasted for centuries.
• Predestined (adj): Established or determined in advance.
  • Their meeting felt like a predestined event.
• Foreordain (v): To ordain or appoint beforehand; a close synonym.
  • The council seemed to foreordain the result of the election.

Synonyms

• Foreordain: To decree or ordain in advance.
• Preordain: To decide or determine the outcome of something beforehand.
• Destine: To intend or choose for a particular purpose or end (often with less emphasis on an unchangeable divine decree).

Related Phrases

• A sense of predestination: A feeling that events are unfolding according to a pre-determined plan.
  • The series of coincidences gave her a sense of predestination about the project's success.

Verb

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