Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; one's lot.
- n. A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control: "Marriage and hanging go by destiny” ( Robert Burton).
- n. The power or agency thought to predetermine events: Destiny brought them together.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An irresistible tendency of certain events to come about by force of predetermination, whatever efforts may be made to prevent them; overruling necessity; fate.
- n. That which is predetermined and sure to come true.
- n. That which is to become of any person or thing in the future; fortune; lot; lack: often in the plural.
- n. [capitalized] plural In classical mythology, the Fates or Parcæ; the powers supposed to preside over human life. See fate.
- n. Synonyms Destiny, Fate, Doom. Fate is stronger than destiny, and less the appointment of a personal being or other discernible cause; but the words are often used interchangeably. Doom is an unhappy destiny.
Wiktionary
- n. That to which any person or thing is destined; a predetermined state; a condition foreordained by the Divine or by human will; fate; lot; doom.
- n. The fixed order of things; invincible necessity; fate; an irresistible power or agency conceived of as determining the future, whether in general or of an individual.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. That to which any person or thing is destined; predetermined state; condition foreordained by the Divine or by human will; fate; lot; doom.
- n. The fixed order of things; invincible necessity; fate; a resistless power or agency conceived of as determining the future, whether in general or of an individual.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
- n. the ultimate agency regarded as predetermining the course of events (often personified as a woman)
- n. your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
Etymologies
- From Old French destinee. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Next, it is one of the powers ‘which rule our earthly destiny,’ that is, _fortune_ rules _destiny_.”
“Your certain destiny is to grow much bigger and stronger.”
“After Manchester United were beaten by Chelsea in midweek, victory for Arsenal would have put their title destiny in their own hands but without injured trio Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott they mustered few clear chances despite dominating possession and had to share the points with Sunderland for the second time this season.”
“Prof. Easterly's subtle intimation that we must master the debate before we can master our destiny is an important lesson to be learned from the Columbia experience.”
The Huffington Post: Alemayehu G. Mariam: Lessons From Columbia U.
“The airport scenes are heart-wrenching but the pride in seeing your child soar and fulfill his or her destiny is a wonderful thing.”
“How she sees her destiny is a more vital and rewarding quest than bemoaning her past, with its humiliations and sufferings.”
“Bonaparte could only fulfil what he called his destiny, by continual agitation; and this was well understood by himself and by his enemies.”
“All these philosophers believe that the acts of our will and the motion of our bodies depend on those of the stars to which they are subjected, and they refer every thing to the laws of physical necessity, which they call destiny or”
The Ruins, or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires and the Law of Nature
“This sort of overconfidence in political "destiny" is a good way to get your ass handed to you in a sling 4 to 8 years from now.”
“And your use of the term "destiny" is framing the issue.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘destiny’.
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Common English Words That Are Also Fi...
art, bob, bill, grace, hope, john, heather, pat, amber, jack, dale, glen and 170 more...
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POL - campaign tokenisms
Positive words and vague promises. THE words and expressions to use when you want to win over the masses or just don't know what to say.
"CAPITAL" stands for the administrative capital...deserve, deserve better, destiny, determination, determine, determine the wil..., dialogue, differentiation, difficult question, disappointments, diverse, diversity and 751 more...
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charms
all sorts of ...fortune, gnome, green, chance, luck, gheluc, success, good, spells, hypnotic, prosperity, blessing and 38 more...
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vivids's list
picturesque, lovelight, twinkle, agleam, droplet, sunlight, shimmer, epitome, shard, mist, starlight, rain and 23 more...
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Nouny
calumny, parsimony, gluttony, alimony, sanctimony, harmony, miscegeny, telephony, colony, antimony, larceny, mahogany and 26 more...
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revelation
synonyms of revelation or even catalysts leading revelation (moments of clarity).. whatever they may be (preferably nouns)
also experiences that are possible paths to enlightenment (v...rebirth, awakening, catharsis, revival, renewal, dawning, spring, reunion, recollect, exodus, epiphany, prophecy and 87 more...
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Words to live by
and my mantras
faith, God, Buddha, Muhammad, laughter, simplicity, hope, gratitude, Jesus, science, theology, agnosticism and 16 more...
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Shadowkeir's list
This list, the one shown below this very message, is a collection of words that you cannot begin to fathom how much I adore. The list will also feature atithesis and contrasting words such as the t...
wishful, anticlimactic, forte, monchromatic, septic, wonderous, isoclinal, deformed, disintergrate, favourite, laughable, awe-inspiring and 250 more...
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Pretty Words
Words that sound pretty.
ethereal, ephemeral, iridescent, shimmer, wisp, whisper, charisma, crescent, azure, mystery, fantasy, miracle and 142 more...
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Odd Anagrams
Sets of anagrams that have contrasting or related meanings.
casual, causal, parental, paternal, prenatal, atoners, senator, treason, listen, silent, dictionary, indicatory and 110 more...
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eggplantia5's Words
scintillate, marvel, cranberry, oscillate, triumph, bamboozle, grimace, magical, book, hexagon, cipher, compendium and 2727 more...
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The Most Beautiful Words in the Engli...
mellifluous, obscure, star-crossed, undulating, solstice, messiah, audacious, solace, twilight, wanderlust, lovelorn, byzantine and 219 more...
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candy cane heroin
sex, sexual, branden, rozz, candy cane, candy canes, cotton candy, may day, may, taurus, heroin, love and 134 more...
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africasunsets's list
serendipity, fragrance, glamour, smitten, nourish, lavish, luxury, wicked, gem, daring, soothe, fantasy and 192 more...
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Words grabbed from real life conversa...
If I've seen it, heard it, or marvelled at it, I'll stick it here.
cruft, ermine, redundant, shakespearean, camino, marvelous, stupendous, chagrin, shaven, sleek, smug, stillness and 325 more...
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junemoonchild's Favorite Words
Aubrey, astrology, Cancer, Taurus, dybbuk, enchantress, love, mystery, mysteriarch, spirit, melancholy, disintegration and 129 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for destiny.

bilby "What do I know about man's destiny? I could tell you more about radishes."
- Samuel Beckett. May 23, 2009
vanishedone I'm not sure how 'any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results' can qualify as a destiny, but it makes Nietzsche's 'Why I Am a Destiny' look less egomaniacal. Feb 6, 2008