predestinate
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌpriːˈdɛstəˌneɪt/
- Formal
:
predestinado
- He felt that their meeting was predestinate, as if fate had brought them together.
Examples
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But as the rain enters the sea, so tears surround with a predestinate hand.
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God keep you still in that mind, so some gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate scratched face.
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Many believe that our destinies are predestinate and already determined by a higher power.
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Some philosophers argue that everything in life is predestinate and outside of our control.
Synonyms
69
4.2
Certain to happen or be true
16
4.6
Already decided and certain to happen
14
4.3
Decided by fate and impossible to change
8
7.7
When things that happen before make the result sure and not random
6
4.1
Sure to happen or meant to be sent to a certain place
1
3.9
Set in advance before use, often by the maker
1
9.9
Decided before it happens and cannot be changed, often because of fate or a god
Fate or a higher power decides a person's life in advance
A process or system whose result is fixed before it happens
Decided before it happens
Decided or arranged before something happens
Planned before it happens
Arranged or agreed before someone carries it out
Antonyms
How Determined
Surface Forms
Morphology
predestinate = destinate (semi-transparent) = pre + destin + ate
The prefix adds a straightforward 'beforehand' meaning, but the full adjectival sense is somewhat literary and tied to fate or divine inevitability.
Etymology
Predestinate as an adjective comes from pre- 'before' and destine, the same root as destiny, meaning 'fate' or 'to set', so a predestinate event is 'set before' it happens and seen as fixed ahead of time. That's why we call a role or meeting predestinate when it seems decided and cannot be changed.