命運|めいうんmeiun[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounfate; destiny

• Synonym運命うんめいNeutralThe most common general word for fate, stressing a power beyond human control; unlike 「命運」, it does not specifically suggest a fate that decides survival or success.
• Synonym宿命しゅくめいNeutralA fate fixed at birth and impossible to escape, as in 「宿命のライバル」; unlike 「命運」, it stresses predestination.
• Synonym天命てんめいNeutralHeaven’s will or decree, and also one’s allotted lifespan; a neutral word that carries the sense of an arrangement made by Heaven.
• Synonym因縁いんねんNeutralKarmic fate or a fated bond, but also a pretext for picking a quarrel; it stresses cause-and-effect ties.
• Synonym天運てんうんWrittenFate or luck as arranged by Heaven; a written/formal word that is rarely used.
• Synonym宿運しゅくうんWrittenA fate fixed at birth, close to 「宿命」; a written/formal word that is rarely used.
• Synonym命数めいすうWrittenA written word for one’s span of life or fated term, as in 「命数が尽きる」; it is about how long a life or fortune lasts.
• Related幸せしあわせNeutralHappiness or good fortune; its focus is on being well off, not on the make-or-break fate that 「命運」 describes.
• Related定めさだめNeutralA rule or decision, but also fate, as in 「定めに従う」; it carries a fatalistic nuance.
• Related運うんNeutralEveryday luck, the broadest and most versatile word of the group; 「命運」 is reserved for the grave fate that decides success or survival.
• Related境遇きょうぐうNeutralOne's circumstances or the conditions surrounding one's life; it points to the present situation, not fate.
• Related幸さちWrittenA written/formal word for happiness or good fortune, also the bounty of sea and mountains, as in 「海の幸」「幸あれ」.
• Related身の上みのうえNeutralOne's background, lot in life or personal history, as in 「身の上話」; it centers on individual experience.
• Related運勢うんせいNeutralOne's fortune for a given time, good or bad, as in the fortune-telling phrase 「今日の運勢」.
• Related天意てんいWrittenThe will of Heaven, stressing divine intent; a written/formal word.
• Related回り合わせまわりあわせNeutralLuck or fortune one happens on by chance; colloquial, with the emphasis on coincidence.
• Related宿世しゅくせWrittenOne's previous existence or the karma brought from it; a Buddhist term in written/formal prose.
• Related巡り合わせめぐりあわせNeutralFortuitous luck or the chance way things turn out, as in 「不思議な巡り合わせ」.
• Related運気うんきNeutralOne's luck or fortune, as in 「運気が上がる」; mostly used in feng shui and fortune-telling.
• Related宿縁しゅくえんWrittenA bond or karma formed in a previous existence; a written/formal word that is rarely used.

Use 「命運」 for a fate on which survival, ruin or success hangs, as in 「会社の命運を握る」. For fate in general choose 「運命」, for a fate fixed at birth 「宿命」, and for plain luck 「運」. 「運勢」 and 「運気」 belong to fortune-telling. 「天命」 speaks of Heaven’s decree, and the written 「天意」「天運」「宿運」「宿世」「宿縁」 of Heaven’s will or karma; 「命数」 is one’s lifespan or fated term. 「巡り合わせ」「回り合わせ」 speak of chance and 「境遇」「身の上」 of one’s circumstances.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 差し迫さしせまった運命うんめい。