FATE Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'fate' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fate are destiny , doom , lot , and portion . While all these words mean "a predetermined state or end," fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome. // the fate of the submarine is unknown

Q: When is it sensible to use 'destiny' instead of 'fate'?

The words destiny and fate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end. // the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

Q: Where would 'doom' be a reasonable alternative to 'fate'?

The synonyms doom and fate are sometimes interchangeable, but doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate. // if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Q: How do 'lot' and 'portion' relate to one another, in the sense of 'fate'?

Both lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance. // it was her lot to die childless

Q: In what contexts can 'portion' take the place of 'fate'?

While in some cases nearly identical to fate , portion implies the apportioning of good and evil. // remorse was his daily portion

fate 1 of 2

noun

ˈfāt

Definition of fate

as in destiny

a state or end that seemingly has been decided beforehand the belief that it was this country's fate to extend from sea to sea

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in outcome

a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause the fate of the presidential election hinged on a few thousand votes in a single state

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in demise

the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities he met his fate in a tragic highway accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fate

2 of 2

verb

ˈfāt

as in to destine

to determine the fate of in advance the warning that the lack of an advanced education will fate a person to a lifetime of below-average earnings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fate distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fate are destiny, doom, lot, and portion. While all these words mean "a predetermined state or end," fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

When is it sensible to use destiny instead of fate?

The words destiny and fate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.

the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

Where would doom be a reasonable alternative to fate?

The synonyms doom and fate are sometimes interchangeable, but doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

How do lot and portion relate to one another, in the sense of fate?

Both lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance.

it was her lot to die childless

In what contexts can portion take the place of fate?

While in some cases nearly identical to fate, portion implies the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

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 fate

Noun

Amid the social unrest gripping France, the fates of Valjean, Cosette, her lover Marius, and Javert become entangled in the turbulent, revolutionary streets of Paris. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 The fate of the mutineers was not immediately clear and authorities did not disclose any charges against them. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Verb

Lorelai seemed fated to end up with Luke (Scott Patterson), the grumpy-with-a-heart-of-gold diner owner. — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 24 July 2026 The expansion of the category and Nolan’s increased Oscar success since Dunkirk have changed his films’ Oscar fates. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fate

Noun

Two years later, as massive success seemed like the Eagles’ manifest destiny, that tandem cut their bandmates out of a publishing deal, setting themselves up with a never-ending sinecure but setting their original quartet up to crumble.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
This was an unusual-feeling time to begin with, what made it so that coincidences seemed like the work of destiny.

— Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of destiny

Noun

The losses linked to the demise of these groups are difficult to quantify, but participants and advocates say the impacts will reverberate across federal agencies for years.

— Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
The Syrian civil war that began during that period eventually saw the demise of the Assad regime – Hafez’s son Bashar had continued his father’s hard-line legacy after coming to power in 2000.

— Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of demise

Verb

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
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

Definition of destine

Noun

Styles’ tribute to Parton is one of the innumerable remembrances across the globe following her death after a brief battle with cancer at 80.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
The story follows Ana, a young Black French woman who, following the death of her grandmother, travels to her matriarch’s birth city of Belo Horizonte.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of death

Noun

Ilie and Ghodla modeled the environment in which the resultant black hole seeds would exist and merge, calculating merger rates and the influence on the gravitational wave background.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
No other spacecraft has ever descended into the moon’s shadowy south polar craters, although NASA did crash a rocket into one in 2009 and watched a resultant plume of water vapor burst out.

— Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of resultant

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fat cats

fate

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“Fate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fate. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of fate

noun

verb

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