Meanings
kismet1
plural kismets · alternative kismat · alternative Kismet
- uncountableusuallyFate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny.
Sexualised Catholicism, at the dawn of MTV, was Madonna’s first stroke of kismet.
2019 June 8, Kitty Empire, “Madonna: Madame X review – a splendidly bizarre return to form”, in The Guardian3 more examples
But these things are kismet, and we only find out all about them just when any knowledge is too late.
1887, Rudyard Kipling, Bitters Neat"Golly!" he cried. "I'm awfully sorry, Bo'sun, but you're It. You're luck's clean out to-day. What rotten Kismet you do have. The Lot fell on you all right, smack in the middle of your chest."
1917, Percival Christopher Wren, “The Rafters”, in The Young StagersBut at this point fickle Kismet, who for a day had played with him bitterly and sardonically, decided to reward him in full for the amusement he had afforded her. Kismet turned the tawny eyes of the snake-charmer to the camel. Kismet led her to lean toward the man beside her and say, "Who's that? That camel?"
1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald, chapter III, in The Camel's BackSynonyms: destiny, fate, fortune, lot, chance, destin, destiny, doom
Kismet2
- A small city in Seward County, Kansas.
- A hamlet in Suffolk County, New York.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounFate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Arabicقِسْمَة“division, lot, destiny”
- Ottoman Turkishقسمت“fate, destiny”
- Englishkismet
From Ottoman Turkish قسمت (kısmet, “fate, destiny”) (Turkish kısmet), from Arabic قِسْمَة (qisma, “division, lot, destiny”).
More words from Ottoman Turkish, Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic قِسْمَة
- قِسْمَة (qisma)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Chinese Mandarin 命運 /命运
- 命運 /命运 (mìngyùn)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Czech osud
- osudfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Dutch lotbestemming
- lotbestemmingfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Esperanto sorco
- sorcofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Finnish kohtalo
- kohtalofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
French destin
- destinfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Hindi क़िस्मत, किसमत
- क़िस्मत (qismat)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- किसमत (kismat)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- तक़दीर (taqdīr)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- तकदीर (takdīr)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- किस्मत (kismat)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- लेख (lekh)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- कर्म (karm)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- करम (karam)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- नसीब (nasīb)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- मुक़द्दर (muqaddar)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- मुकद्दर (mukaddar)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- भाग (bhāg)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Hungarian kiszmet
- kiszmetfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Icelandic örlög, sköp
- örlögfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- sköpfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Indonesian nasib, takdir
- nasibfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- takdirfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Italian destino, fato
- destinofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- fatofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Persian تقدیر, قسمت
- تقدیر (taqdir)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- قسمت (qesmat)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Polish los, przeznaczenie
- losfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- przeznaczeniefate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Portuguese fado, destino
- fadofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- destinofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- sinafate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- quismetefate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Romanian câsmet
- câsmetfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Russian кисме́т, судьба́
- кисме́т (kismét)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- судьба́ (sudʹbá)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Slovak kismet
- kismetfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Spanish hado, destino
- hadofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- destinofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- sinofate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- kismetfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Thai พรหมลิขิต, ลิขิตสวรรค์
- พรหมลิขิต (prom-lí-kìt)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- ลิขิตสวรรค์fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
- ลิขิตฟ้าfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Turkish kısmet
- kısmetfate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Urdu قسمت
- قسمت (qismat)fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
kismet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kismet
“kismet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kismet. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kismet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kismet.
Source: kismet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.