Preordination

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The divine decree or predetermination that all events, including human actions and destiny, have been established beforehand by a supreme being or cosmic force
2. The act of determining or establishing in advance the course of events, often relating to fate or divine influence over personal choices and life outcomes
3. The concept that all events and decisions are predetermined by a higher power, influencing the trajectory of life and individual actions

Etymology: "Preordination" is a plain compound: the prefix "pre-", meaning "before," attached to "ordination," which comes from the Latin "ordinatio," an arrangement or putting in order, and from "ordinare," to set in order. Put together, the word means an ordering that happens beforehand, so a fixed arrangement settled before events unfold. Its meaning follows the sense of "ordain," to decree or establish by authority. In theological use, especially in discussions of divine will, it describes God's settling of outcomes in advance, which is why the word is so closely tied to fate and predestination. The same logic extends to human life in a looser sense, where a course of events seems already arranged before anyone chooses it.

Synonyms: predestination, foreordination, fate, destiny, providence

Antonyms: free will, choice, indeterminism, randomness, chaos