destiny

noun

des·​ti·​ny ˈde-stə-nē 

plural destinies

1

: something to which a person or thing is destined : fortune

wants to control his own destiny

2

: a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency

felt that destiny would determine their future

Synonyms

• fate

Choose the Right Synonym for destiny

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end.

fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.

the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance

it was her lot to die childless

, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Examples of destiny in a Sentence

They believed it was their destiny to be together.

motivated by a sense of destiny

Recent Examples on the Web

Turner spoke with an arresting conviction, locating Canada’s fate in geography, history, and its defining quest to defy manifest destiny and political gravity. —Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025

What Komasa gives us are samples of slick videos produced by the Cumberland Company that extol the values of freedom, dignity, destiny and, perhaps most ambiguous, solidarity. —Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025

The venture world spoke religiously of betting on the founder, the visionary, the Moses who would lead the team to its rightful destiny. —Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025

In a hotel room, a melancholy sabra in his forties muses over the paradoxes of the historical destiny of the Jews. —Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English destinee, from Anglo-French, from feminine of destiné, past participle of destiner — see destine

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing destiny

• manifest destiny

Kids Definition

destiny

noun

des·​ti·​ny ˈdes-tə-nē 

plural destinies

1

: something to which a person or thing is destined : fortune

2

: the course of events held to be arranged by a superhuman power