destined

UK/ˈdɛstɪnd/

adjectiveC1Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speechneutral

Destined means certain to end up a particular way, as though it had already been decided. Fate, or simply a very obvious outcome.

It takes for or an infinitive, so destined for greatness or destined to fail. The word is often used loosely and in hindsight, since almost anything looks destined once it has happened. There is a plain travel sense too, since a train destined for somewhere is going there. Predestined is the stronger version and belongs to theology rather than to everyday prediction.

Definitions of destined

1adjectivedestinedCertain to happen or to end up in a particular way.C1
“The plan was destined to fail from the beginning.”

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 12 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

destined in the wild

Reputedly, whoever could untie it would be destined to rule all of Asia.
Gordian Knot
In Greek mythology, the Teumessian fox, sometimes called the Teumessian vixen, was an enormous fox that was destined never to be caught.
Teumessian fox
Spermatocytogenesis is the male form of gametocytogenesis and involves stem cells dividing to replace themselves and to produce a population of cells destined to become mature sperm.
Spermatocytogenesis
The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances.
Red thread of fate
Significant value can be lost by sub-optimal bucking because logs destined for plywood, lumber, and pulp each have their own value and specifications for length, diameter, and defects.
Log bucking

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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