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doom

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word doom distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of doom are destiny, fate, lot, and portion. While all these words mean "a predetermined state or end," doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

When is destiny a more appropriate choice than doom?

The words destiny and doom can be used in similar contexts, but 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

When would fate be a good substitute for doom?

While in some cases nearly identical to doom, fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

How are the words lot and portion related as synonyms of doom?

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

it was her lot to die childless

In what contexts can portion take the place of doom?

Although the words portion and doom have much in common, portion implies the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of doom
Noun
The outlook is not all doom and gloom. Matt Reardon, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025 Dope Thief has a lot of death and doom, but this final ride is different. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
Are moral and religious quests doomed to cause more harm than good? Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025 This potentially dooms them to 48 hours in the nearest town. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for doom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doom
Noun
  • Google to challenge order Google criticized the ruling and plans to appeal.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Reporting on the ruling noted the panel did not identify who applied the fatal pressure or establish a definitive motive.
    Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Russia has not rediscovered its imperial destiny.
    Jeremy Shapiro, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Progress beats perfection, and everyone is the master of their own destiny.
    Point Loma-Ob Monthly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Young spoke with Variety about the unarticulated rivalry that the Lost Boys have with one another, playing an adult with the mind of a child and working with a real-life sheep while staging his character’s grisly demise.
    Leia Mendoza, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The atmosphere also helped play a role in the rapid demise of Hurricane Lorena off the Mexico coast, sparing that region a direct landfall.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The canonical work of Edward Curtis established the tragic view and elegiac rhetoric of Native people as noble savages unassimilable to Progress and hence destined for cultural, if not biological, extinction.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The pair's emotional journey was captured in a viral TikTok video with over 1 million likes, a story that internet viewers believe was destined to happen.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Borgwardt, who could not be reached for comment for this report, pleaded no contest last month to obstructing an officer and was sentenced to 89 days in jail.
    Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Brown pleaded guilty to robbery with a dangerous weapon in February 2015 and was sentenced to a minimum of six years and one month and a maximum of eight years and four months in prison.
    Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In a statement to USA TODAY, one of Combs’ attorneys, Erica Wolff, said the jury’s not-guilty verdicts undermine the validity of the civil claims.
    Gina Barton, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Bravery means reframing rejection as data, not a verdict.
    Jill Schulman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The fate of higher education will determine the strength of our workforce, the pace of innovation, and America's global competitiveness.
    Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • With just 24 hours to decide the fate of the house, old resentments bubble up, secrets are exposed and shifting alliances test whatever bonds remain.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Leaders from around the world mourned the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated at a Utah university Wednesday.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Advertisement ‘This is war’ Several on the right have likened Kirk’s death to a declaration of war.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Doom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doom. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

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