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fate

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fate distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fate are destiny, doom, lot, and portion. While all these words mean "a predetermined state or end," fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

When is it sensible to use destiny instead of fate?

The words destiny and fate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

Where would doom be a reasonable alternative to fate?

The synonyms doom and fate are sometimes interchangeable, but doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

How do lot and portion relate to one another, in the sense of fate?

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 fate?

While in some cases nearly identical to fate, 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 fate
Noun
Continue reading … DISCIPLINED – Eagles defender Jalen Carter learns fate after costly mistake in season opener. FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025 Black artists have taken control of their own fate. Okla Jones, Essence, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Advertisement All of which is leading to a point that seems to be as familiar as fated to fail. Philip Elliott, Time, 11 Aug. 2025 Anisimova emerged on the professional scene as a teenage powerhouse who seemed fated for tennis greatness. Alana Wise, NPR, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for fate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fate
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
  • Unwavering loyalty Schrandt told ABC News that any deportations to Afghanistan are an unacceptable outcome.
    Chris Boccia, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The cumulative effect is fewer community judgments and more private, judicial and legislative control over outcomes.
    Richard Lorren Jolly, The Conversation, 5 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
  • As the Cincinnati Reds piled on against Shane Bieber in the second inning of Wednesday’s series finale, the Toronto Blue Jays seemed destined for a series loss.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez appears destined for free agency as contract talks are reportedly completely silent.
    Drew VonScio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The result is that the field of ketamine therapy goes unregulated.
    Rachel Hale, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Police have not indicated whether the test results have come back, who owns the dogs or if there are more dogs possibly being investigated.
    Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 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
Verb
  • The mission was doomed, and the satellite crashed back to Earth.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2025
  • As a direct result of that hospitality, the women’s respective causes soon become more aligned than either Joan or Alina would have wanted, and any harm visited upon one of them eventually threatens to doom the other as well.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The resultant casualty levels were stunning.
    Jack Sheehan September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
  • This pace of growth means that every new generation of AI comes with an order-of-magnitude increase in energy, water demand and the resultant CO2 impact.
    Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fate. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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