What does foreordaining mean?
Foreordaining is the act of determining or decreeing something in advance — settling its course before it comes to pass. It is best known as the participle of foreordain, a term central to Christian theology, where it describes God's eternal decree appointing events, or souls, to a particular destiny. In Reformed (Calvinist) thought, God is said to have foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, including the salvation of the elect, making the word a fixture of sermons, confessions, and doctrinal debates. Beyond theology, it can describe any force — fate, history, nature — that seems to fix outcomes ahead of time. The word carries a formal, weighty register and appears mainly in religious, philosophical, or literary writing rather than casual conversation. Its enduring interest lies in the tension it names: if all things are settled in advance, what becomes of human choice? That question has made foreordaining a contested term for centuries, invoked wherever destiny and free will collide.
To determine or decree something in advance, especially by divine will; to appoint beforehand the course or outcome of events.
"The Westminster Confession describes God as foreordaining whatsoever comes to pass."
Typically used in the progressive or participial form within theological or literary prose.
An instance or act of determining something in advance; the action or result of foreordaining.
"The sermon dwelt on the foreordaining of every soul's final destiny."
Before Calvin ever preached predestination, English churchmen were already 'foreordaining' souls to heaven — a word that puts divine paperwork in writing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of foreordaining
Foreordaining derives from foreordain, formed in English from the prefix 'fore-' (beforehand) combined with 'ordain', which itself comes from Latin 'ordinare', to put in order or appoint, via Old French 'ordainer'. The compound arose in medieval and early modern English religious writing as theologians needed precise language for God's decrees about predestination. It shares this Latin root with related terms such as ordination and predestination.
Related word forms
How foreordaining is actually used
Foreordaining is almost exclusively found in formal, theological, or literary contexts, most often in discussions of Calvinism and providence. It carries a solemn, weighty connotation and is rarely used casually; in everyday speech people typically say 'predestined' or 'meant to be' instead.
Easily confused with foreordaining
Foreboding is a sense of impending evil or misfortune, whereas foreordaining is the act of decreeing events in advance.