destined
Americanadjective
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bound for a certain destination.
a freighter destined for Manila.
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ordained, appointed, or predetermined to be or do something.
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liable, planning, or intending to be or do something.
adjective
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foreordained or certain; meant
he is destined to be famous
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(usually foll by for) heading (towards a specific destination); directed
a letter destined for Europe
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of destined
Explanation
Someone who's destined is fated or meant to do something. If your mom says you're destined for a life on the stage, she means that it's certain you'll be an actor one day. Being destined for something can be great luck — if, for example, you're destined to be a millionaire. It can also mean something closer to "doomed," as you might be if you're destined to a string of bad luck after breaking a mirror and seeing a black cat run past at the exact same moment. The Old French root is destinée, "purpose, intent, fate, or destiny."
Vocabulary lists containing destined
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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The Tale of Despereaux
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Purple Hibiscus
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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.
Destined entirely for use in Brazil, that output would supply roughly a fifth of the country’s potash needs over the mine’s 30-year lifespan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025
Destined for trouble, he finds it unfailingly wherever he goes.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2025
Destined to grow 25 feet high and almost twice as wide, it promises to shade our western-facing home within 20 years.
From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024
Destined to keep expanding, an Atlantic-type ocean will eventually become the exterior ocean of the next supercontinent.
From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024
Thus beheld Kentucky’s hero, The domain of future triumphs, Thus his eyes beheld the section, Destined soon to make him famous.
From The Song of Lancaster, Kentucky to the statesmen, soldiers, and citizens of Garrard County. by Potts, Eugenia Dunlap
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.
