destined 1 of 2

adjective

as in fated

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destined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of destine
as in doomed
to determine the fate of in advance his extreme height seemed to destine him for a career in basketball

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 destined
Verb
Two years ago, no one knew The Brutalist, a three-hour drama about architecture from the guy who brought you Vox Lux, was destined to win multiple Oscars. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 Smokejumpers kicked cargo destined for mountain villages in Vietnam, Hmong rebels in Laos, and Muslim dissidents in China. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 That’s because, despite your best attempts, some things are destined to crash and burn. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026 The owner of this famous jewel—still worn today by the women of the Luxembourg royal family —did not seem destined to become a grand duchess. — Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 The ship loaded at Novorossiysk on May 11 and was destined for Sikka, in Gujarat. — Charles Edward Gehrke, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 Is that why the Nuvolari is destined to be a limited-run footnote rather than a series-production supercar? — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026 The Warriors have talent, but given their collective age, a rotation cast appears destined to watch games from the bench. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 In the midst of a sensational sophomore season, Bueckers seems destined for her second straight All-WNBA selection and has the Wings in the playoffs for the first time since the 2023 season. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destined
  1. predestined
  2. doomed
  3. possible
  4. ordained
  5. likely
  6. probable
Adjective
  • In retrospect, Sumner seemed predestined to become a famous abolitionist lawyer.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • Christo and Jeanne-Claude disregarded all threats of legal action, directing Running Fence to complete its predestined voyage into the sea.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Definition of predestined
Verb
  • Kelly finds the public’s current craving for unique genre storytelling encouraging, but feels that like most trends, it may be doomed to impermanence.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the Swift observatory is doomed to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere later this year.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of doomed
Adjective
  • Sunlight Place the plant in a sunny window, south-facing if possible, and give it four to six hours of sunlight each day.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Carley Garner, a commodity market strategist and broker at DeCarley Trading, said smaller futures and oil ETFs such as the United States Oil Fund (ticker USO) have made speculation possible for traders at almost any level of experience or funding.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of possible
Verb
  • The Episcopal Church has allowed women to be in ministry since 1974, and Ashby was ordained by Lamb.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So what if the credulous smallfolk now believe that the Usurper’s rule is ordained by the Gods?
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of ordained
Adjective
  • Evangelista, based on his usage and results last year, seems likely to be one of them.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • This rainfall is likely to produce flash flooding, especially in low-lying and urban areas.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of likely
Adjective
  • That description equally well applies to our probable timeline on this planet, the way things are progressing.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The more probable future is a heterogeneous computing environment where classical high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum processors collaborate.
    — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of probable

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Cite this Entry

“Destined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destined. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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