ananke

A1N1A1N1K5E1
/əˈnæŋki/

noun

Necessity beyond all supplications or sway. Conceived as the ultimate dictator of all fate and circumstances, to which even the gods must ultimately pay homage and deference.

OriginAncient Greek ἀνάγκη →
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Meanings

ananke1

nounananke (uncountable)
  1. uncountableNecessity beyond all supplications or sway. Conceived as the ultimate dictator of all fate and circumstances, to which even the gods must ultimately pay homage and deference.

Ananke2

proper noun
  1. Greekhuman sciencesA Greek goddess, personification of destiny, necessity and fate, depicted as holding a spindle.
    1 more example

    “‘To tell you that the eternities beget chaos, and that the immensities are at the mercy of the divine ananke. Infinitude crouches before a personality. The mercurial essence is the prime mover in spirituality, and the thinker is powerless before the pulsating inanity. The cosmical procession is terminated only by the unknowable and unpronounceable’——

    1886, Arthur Conan Doyle, Cyprian Overbeck Wells. A Literary Mosaic
  2. astronomyA moon of Jupiter.

Origin

ananke · noun

  1. Ancient Greekἀνάγκη“necessity”
  2. Englishananke

From Ancient Greek ἀνάγκη (anánkē, “necessity”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Ananke · proper noun

  1. Ancient GreekἈνάγκη“Fate”
  2. EnglishAnanke

From Ancient Greek Ἀνάγκη (Anánkē, “Fate”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French Ananké
  • AnankéGreek goddess of destiny, necessity and fate
German Ananke
  • AnankeGreek goddess of destiny, necessity and fate
Greek Ανάγκη
  • Ανάγκη (Anágki)Greek goddess of destiny, necessity and fate
Persian آنانکی
  • آنانکی (ânânkê)Greek goddess of destiny, necessity and fate
Portuguese ananke, Ananke
  • anankenecessity beyond all supplications or sway
  • AnankeGreek goddess of destiny, necessity and fate
  • AnanqueGreek goddess of destiny, necessity and fate
Spanish Ananké
  • AnankéGreek goddess of destiny, necessity and fate
Cite this entry
APA

ananke. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ananke

MLA

“ananke.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ananke. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ananke,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ananke.

Source: ananke on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.