destiny

[ des-tuh-nee ]

noun

, plural des·ti·nies.

1. something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune.

   Synonyms: kismet, karma, fate

2. the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events.

   Synonyms: future

3. the power or agency that determines the course of events.
4. (initial capital letter) this power personified or represented as a goddess.
5. the Destinies, the Fates.

Destiny

¹

/ ˈdɛstɪnɪ /

noun

1. the power that predetermines events, personified as a goddess

destiny

²

/ ˈdɛstɪnɪ /

noun

1. the future destined for a person or thing; fate; fortune; lot
2. the predetermined or inevitable course of events
3. the ultimate power or agency that predetermines the course of events

Word History and Origins

Origin of destiny¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English destinee, from Old French (noun use of past participle of destiner ), from Latin dēstināta, feminine past participle of dēstināre. See destine, -ee

Word History and Origins

Origin of destiny¹

C14: from Old French destinee, from destiner to destine

Synonym Study

See fate.

Example Sentences

In our modern era, when democracy is not just a system of laws or a set of elections but a life practice of people who work together with others to set a collective destiny, it’s crucial that we hold fast to that because the alternative is to retreat, as you noted, into solitude.

From Slate

After accepting that the park was his destiny, he embarked on renovations — a last-ditch effort to rejuvenate the park that lasted three years and cost him the last of his assets: the yacht and the two apartments in Seoul, each fetching several million dollars.

From Los Angeles Times

“But looking back, I know this was my destiny. I think it’s important to know your destiny, but we usually don’t know until much later in life. We struggle, we fight against it. And we experience so much anxiety trying to find ourselves when our true selves are staring us in the face all that time.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Demography,” these left-wing optimists liked to say, “is destiny.”

From BBC

Sixteen years later, however, that destiny appears to have turned to dust.

From BBC

Related Words

• circumstance
• future
• inevitability
• intention
• objective
• prospect