destiny
noun
something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune.
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destiny
American
[des-tuh-nee]
/ ˈdɛs tə ni /
noun
-
destinies
plural
-
something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune.
-
the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events.
- Synonyms:
- future
-
the power or agency that determines the course of events.
-
(initial capital letter) this power personified or represented as a goddess.
-
the Destinies, the Fates.
destiny
1
British
/ ˈdɛstɪnɪ /
noun
-
the future destined for a person or thing; fate; fortune; lot
-
the predetermined or inevitable course of events
-
the ultimate power or agency that predetermines the course of events
Destiny
2
British
/ ˈdɛstɪnɪ /
noun
Usage
What does destiny mean? Destiny commonly refers to a specific future or outcome that results from a predetermined or inevitable course of events. The word can also refer to the course of events itself or to the power or force thought to make such things happen. A close synonym for all of these senses of the word destiny is fate. Destiny involves what is going to happen, what has to happen, or what is meant to be. If a certain future is said to be someone’s destiny, it can mean that it’s destined (foreordained or predetermined) to happen, or that it should happen. Destiny is often thought to be out of our control, though some people believe you can control your own destiny. Destiny is sometimes personified—represented as a person, such as a goddess who has the power to determine the course of events in life. When used this way, it is often capitalized. Destiny should not be confused with density, which is the quality of how dense or compact something is. Example: I believe it was my destiny to be there that day so that we could meet—it was meant to be.
Synonym Usage
See fate.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of destiny
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English destinee, from Old French (noun use of past participle of destiner ), from Latin dēstināta, feminine past participle of dēstināre. See destine, -ee
Explanation
Destiny is what's meant to be, what's written in the stars, your inescapable fate. You might think it's your destiny to own a dog, but your sad goldfish survival rate should tell you that happy pets probably aren't in your future. A noun meaning fate, destiny is synonymous with other nouns like divine decree, fortune, and serendipity. There's no avoiding destiny — it's going to happen no matter what you do. But before you get bogged down worrying about what the distant future holds, remember what Winston Churchill said: “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”
Vocabulary lists containing destiny
May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Words
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Holes
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"Bonne Annee," Vocabulary from the personal essay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Many investors will react with incredulity, pointing to Japan as Exhibit A of why demography is destiny.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Wang added that "China and Nepal are bound by mountains and rivers, sharing a common destiny".
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
It could also send a signal about the health of multilateralism and the destiny of one of the world’s largest trading blocs in an era of great power politics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
If we thought Stokes' destiny was to end with an Ashes win next summer, then the all-rounder was unable to finish his story.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
"For just one dollar you get a steaming cup of cocoa," she said, "and your life's destiny."
From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene
Relatives said Destiny Harrison was home-schooling Isaiah with a computer program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Song remains adamantly offline, relying on the "Four Pillars of Destiny" astrology in braille and on her four decades of experience in careful listening -- a skill her automated competition cannot match.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
In 2023, Destiny Byassee, a 22-year-old mother in Florida, died after the air bag in her Chevrolet Malibu exploded during a crash, a police officer who investigated the accident told the NHTSA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
What 250 years means: 250 years of American means to me specifically, as an Angeleno, that we reached the goldmine, we reached the West Coast, that was Manifest Destiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Just over an hour until my Date with Destiny.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Plus, they were fellow petrostates, their destinies tied to the vast pools of oil beneath their sovereign lands.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
An attempt was made in 1992 to "finally allow cities to take charge of their own destinies" through the 74th amendment of the Constitution.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
Many of the differences in the characters’ destinies have been due to circumstances beyond their control, and perhaps their choices have been likewise inevitable, though the payoff is a poignancy that enriches the comedy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
I reported in 2021 that shareholders were already asking for more disclosures from managements about how their activities contribute to climate change, and more about how climate change will affect their destinies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
He asked easy, drawling questions about me, his other son, his wife, and he laughed, amused, when I informed him of their destinies.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
