destiny

noun

des·​ti·​ny ˈde-stə-nē 

plural destinies

1

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

want to control my 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 of destiny

• 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

The Eagles controlled their own destiny at one point in the 2025 season, but after two straight losses, the Birds have opened the door for the Dallas Cowboys to make a run for the division title. —Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025

The film can be read as the rebellion of a dutiful daughter, Lucía, who becomes a quasi-mother to protect her young brother Adrián from his destiny. —John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Dec. 2025

Rosalía poses increasingly impossible questions about destiny, God, and the meaning of everything; her vision of what global pop music can be (and do) comes across as cerebral and expansive. —Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

With a head-to-head matchup on the horizon next Sunday and a second meeting waiting at the end of the season, the Steelers very much control their own destiny. —Mike Defabo, New York Times, 1 Dec. 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