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Definition of destiny noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

destiny

noun
 
/ˈdestəni/
 
/ˈdestəni/
(plural destinies)
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  1. [countable] what happens to somebody or what will happen to them in the future, especially things that they cannot change or avoid
    • The destinies of five nations were decided at the peace conference.
    • He wants to be in control of his own destiny.
    • The contemporary hero is one who stands out against the crowd to fulfil a personal destiny.
    Extra Examples
    • He came to Paris and found his true destiny as a poet.
    • Her destiny lay in that city.
    • It was a decision which could have changed my destiny.
    • No one can escape their destiny.
    • She felt that she had fulfilled her destiny.
    • I felt I had to find my destiny on my own.
    • She set up her own business because she wanted to be in control of her own destiny.
    • He was convinced that sooner or later he would fulfil his destiny.
    • Something was about to happen that would shape her destiny.
    • The time was right for him to meet his destiny.
    • There's not much you can do but accept your destiny.
    • the destiny that awaited him
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • your own
    • manifest
    • human
    verb + destiny
    • face
    • meet
    • fulfil/​fulfill
    destiny + verb
    • await somebody
    • lie
    phrases
    • be in control of your own destiny
    • be master of your own destiny
    • a sense of destiny
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] the power believed to control events synonym fate
    • I believe there's some force guiding us—call it God, destiny or fate.
    • He was driven on by a strong sense of destiny.
    Synonyms luckluckchance coincidence accident fate destinyThese are all words for things that happen or the force that causes them to happen.luck the force that causes good or bad things to happen to people:
    • This ring has always brought me good luck.
    chance the way that some things happen without any cause that you can see or understand:
    • The results could simply be due to chance.
    coincidence the fact of two things happening at the same time by chance, in a surprising way:
    • They met through a series of strange coincidences.
    accident something that happens unexpectedly and is not planned in advance:
    • Their early arrival was just an accident.
    fate the power that is believed to control everything that happens and that cannot be stopped or changed:
    • Fate decreed that she would never reach America.
    destiny the power that is believed to control events:
    • I believe there’s some force guiding us—call it God, destiny or fate.
    fate or destiny?Fate can be kind, but this is an unexpected gift; just as often, fate is cruel and makes people feel helpless. Destiny is more likely to give people a sense of power: people who have a strong sense of destiny usually believe that they are meant to be great or do great things.Patterns
    • by …luck/​chance/​coincidence/​accident
    • It’s no coincidence/​accident that…
    • pure/​sheer luck/​chance/​coincidence/​accident
    • to believe in luck/​coincidences/​fate/​destiny
    Topics Religion and festivalsc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • your own
    • manifest
    • human
    verb + destiny
    • face
    • meet
    • fulfil/​fulfill
    destiny + verb
    • await somebody
    • lie
    phrases
    • be in control of your own destiny
    • be master of your own destiny
    • a sense of destiny
    See full entry
  3. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French destinee, from Latin destinata, feminine past participle of destinare ‘make firm, establish’.
See destiny in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee destiny in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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