Phrase guide

foregone conclusion

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A predictable or inevitable conclusion, or one made without enough consideration and evidence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

something that is certain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his victory is a certainty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: certainty, sure thing

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: quality

Narrower terms: cert, ineluctability, unavoidability, inevitability, inevitableness, surety, indisputability, indubitability, unquestionability, unquestionableness, moral certainty, predictability, slam dunk

3

noun

Meaning 3

an inevitable ending

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: matter of course

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ending, conclusion, finish

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: uitgemaakte zaak — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Finnish: itsestäänselvyys — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Finnish: itsestäänselvä johtopäätös — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Finnish: selviö — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • French: couru d'avance — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • German: ausgemachte Sache — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Polish: rezultat przesądzony z góry — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Portuguese: resultado certo — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Russian: предрешённый вы́вод (predrešónnyj vývod) — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Spanish: ser de prever — predictable or inevitable conclusion
  • Spanish: estar cantado — predictable or inevitable conclusion