Thesaurus results for DESTINY

Q: How is the word 'destiny' distinct from other similar nouns?

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

Q: When could 'doom' be used to replace 'destiny'?

The synonyms doom and destiny are sometimes interchangeable, but doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate. // if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Q: When is it sensible to use 'fate' instead of 'destiny'?

While the synonyms fate and destiny are close in meaning, fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome. // the fate of the submarine is unknown

Q: How are the words 'lot' and 'portion' related as synonyms of 'destiny'?

Both lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance. // it was her lot to die childless

Q: When is 'portion' a more appropriate choice than 'destiny'?

The words portion and destiny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, portion implies the apportioning of good and evil. // remorse was his daily portion

destiny

noun

ˈde-stə-nē

Definition of destiny

as in fate

a state or end that seemingly has been decided beforehand I just knew that it wasn't my destiny to end up in a dead-end job

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word destiny distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of destiny are doom, fate, lot, and portion. While all these words mean "a predetermined state or end," 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 could doom be used to replace destiny?

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

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

When is it sensible to use fate instead of destiny?

While the synonyms fate and destiny are close in meaning, 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 destiny?

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

it was her lot to die childless

When is portion a more appropriate choice than destiny?

The words portion and destiny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 destiny Deciding that destiny is at hand, TATA summons guardian robot VAN to prepare for an interstellar journey to Earth. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Meanwhile, Mirren wants to store her fest statue, which keeps mysteriously appearing next to an Oscar statuette, in its box in a different take on Karlovy Vary winners’ and trophies’ destinies. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026 Drawn into a love story with a familiar collaborator as her path intersects with women of different ages and cultural backgrounds, all fighting to take control of their own destinies, Maxine finds herself on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to confront the choices shaping her life. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 June 2026 In August 1781, a couple of months before the end of the war, Sedgwick and his co-counsel, a law professor named Tapping Reeve, appeared in the Great Barrington Inferior Court of Common Pleas, a small wooden building where a jury would decide the destinies of Freeman and Brom. — New York Times, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for destiny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for destiny

fate

Noun

In stoppage time, Romelu Lukaku tacked on the final goal to seal the Americans’ fate.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 7 July 2026
France and Russia were now allies, and Prussia was largely left to its fate.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026

Definition of fate

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destining

destiny

destitute

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“Destiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destiny. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of destiny

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