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
As things stand, the imperial family will continue as long as 19-year-old prince Hisahito, destined for the throne, one day has a son. — Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026 Stage six’s partly-gravel climb up the Puerto El Bartalo will surely be too tough for him, but Saturday’s flat finish in Xeraco already seems destined to end in a Brennan victory. — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Amaya said there is little doubt that the ongoing El Niño is headed for an extraordinary peak intensity, given how much heat lurks just beneath the surface of the tropical Pacific, destined to rise up over time. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 And just like the TV show, fans are wondering if they're destined to be just friends, or far more. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Nuclear plants that once seemed destined for retirement have suddenly become attractive sources of around-the-clock power for technology companies looking for large blocks of reliable electricity. — Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 With a deal, OpenRouter’s business could be destined for commoditization, and that’s actually kind of the point. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2026 The combination turned a group of Gypsy Romanis, once seemingly destined to scratch a living performing in restaurants, street events or busking on the beaches of Saint Tropez, into a global phenomenon. — Fernando Gonzalez, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2026 But with a lack of historical perspective due to term limits and facing powerful labor union influence, state legislators from both parties seem destined to repeat the mistake of the past. — Daniel Borenstein, Mercury News, 11 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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