Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; one's lot.
- noun A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control.
- noun The power or agency thought to predetermine events.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An irresistible tendency of certain events to come about by force of predetermination, whatever efforts may be made to prevent them; overruling necessity; fate.
- noun That which is predetermined and sure to come true.
- noun That which is to become of any person or thing in the future; fortune; lot; lack: often in the plural.
- noun [capitalized] plural In classical mythology, the Fates or Parcæ; the powers supposed to preside over human life. See
fate . - noun 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.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun That to which any person or thing is destined; predetermined state; condition foreordained by the Divine or by human will; fate; lot; doom.
- noun 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.
- noun (Anc. Myth.) the three Parcæ, or Fates; the supposed powers which preside over human life, and determine its circumstances and duration.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun That to which any person or thing is
destined ; apredetermined state; a conditionforeordained by the Divine or by human will;fate ;lot ;doom . - noun The fixed
order of things; invinciblenecessity ; fate; an irresistiblepower oragency conceived of as determining the future, whether in general or of an individual.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
- noun the ultimate agency regarded as predetermining the course of events (often personified as a woman)
- noun your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Next, it is one of the powers ‘which rule our earthly destiny,’ that is, _fortune_ rules _destiny_.
The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated: In Nine Discourses Delivered to the Catholics of Dublin John Henry Newman 1845
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Your certain destiny is to grow much bigger and stronger.
Growing Pains 1952
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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.
The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed Mitch Phillips 2011
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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.
Alemayehu G. Mariam: Lessons From Columbia U. Alemayehu G. Mariam 2010
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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.
Alemayehu G. Mariam: Lessons From Columbia U. Alemayehu G. Mariam 2010
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The airport scenes are heart-wrenching but the pride in seeing your child soar and fulfill his or her destiny is a wonderful thing.
Kite Flying 2008
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How she sees her destiny is a more vital and rewarding quest than bemoaning her past, with its humiliations and sufferings.
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Bonaparte could only fulfil what he called his destiny, by continual agitation; and this was well understood by himself and by his enemies.
A Modern History, From the Time of Luther to the Fall of Napoleon For the Use of Schools and Colleges John Lord 1852
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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 1788
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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.
Archive 2008-11-01 2008
vanishedone commented on the word destiny
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.
February 6, 2008
bilby commented on the word destiny
"What do I know about man's destiny? I could tell you more about radishes."
- Samuel Beckett.
May 23, 2009