What does “ordain” mean?
- 1
verbto officially make someone a priest or minister in a religious ceremony
He was ordained as a priest in 1998.
- 2
verbto order or decide something officially or by a higher power
Some believed that fate had ordained their meeting.
Ordain at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /ɔrˈdeɪn/ · or-DAYN
How to use “ordain” correctly
Mostly used in religious contexts. The second sense is formal or literary.
Common phrases with “ordain”
- be ordained as
- ordained by God
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- ordination
- ordinance
“ordain” is on these word lists
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