kismet
Americannoun
noun
-
Islam the will of Allah
-
fate or destiny
Usage
What does kismet mean? Kismet means fate or destiny. In Islam, kismet refers to the will of Allah. But it is popularly used to refer to something that one believes was “meant to be”—or the reason why such a thing happened. It can also be spelled kismat, but that’s much less common. Example: We ran into each other on Valentine’s Day, and neither of us had a date, so who was I to deny kismet?
Etymology
Origin of kismet
First recorded in 1840–50; from Turkish, from Persian qismat, from Arabic qisma, qismat- “division, portion, lot, fate,” akin to qasama “(he) divided,” from the (West) Semitic root qsm “to divide, allot”
Explanation
When you encounter something by chance that seems like it was meant to be, then it could be kismet, your destiny. The word kismet comes from the Arabic word ḳismat, meaning “division, portion, lot.” You can think of kismet as your lot in life, or your fate. You’ll often hear the word used in relation to something significant that came about entirely by chance. If you met the love of your life when you spilled coffee on one another as you fell on the icy sidewalk of a street you never walked down before, all you can do is smile and shrug and say, “Kismet.”
Vocabulary lists containing kismet
Friday the 13th
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The Night Circus
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The Life I'm In
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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.
A similar sort of casting kismet struck with Frankenstein when Andrew Garfield’s schedule forced him out of the monster role nine weeks before shooting was set to begin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025
Of all the social media platforms, it holds the greatest promise of kismet.
From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2024
In her movies, she had a belief in kismet and destiny.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2023
That's about as close to kismet as a man like him gets, so he decides to adapt it for AFC Richmond's Greyhounds.
From Salon • Jun. 1, 2023
Maybe it was kismet, but they spotted an elderly Iranian man dining with his son and decided to rope them into their kooky divorce plan.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
