fortunatefor‧tu‧nate /ˈfɔːtʃənət $ ˈfɔːr-/ ●●○ adjective 
I’ve been fortunate to find a career that I love. I was fortunate enough to obtain a research studentship at Stanford.fortunate in doing something She felt fortunate in being able to please herself where she lived.fortunate that I’m fortunate that I have such an understanding wife.more/less fortunate than somebody We’ve been more fortunate than a lot of farmers.► see thesaurus at lucky2a fortunate event is one in which something good happens by chance, especially when this saves you from trouble or danger SYN lucky: By a fortunate coincidence, a passer-by heard her cries for help.3the less fortunate people who are poor: We should all consider the plight of the less fortunate.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- David managed to escape, but the others were not so fortunate.
- I am fortunate to work in a school where all the children are extremely motivated.
- It is extremely fortunate that there was no-one in the building when the bomb went off.
- It was a fortunate coincidence that the police were passing by just then.
- People have been very helpful - I'm very fortunate.
- Some plants actually prefer a lot of shade, which is fortunate for gardeners choosing plants for gloomy corners.
- He had been fortunate in getting the job with Joe Maitland, he had to admit.
- Others are fortunate to find supportive faculty, administrators, and fellow students.
- Some children are fortunate in that their parents or teachers provide an excited audience for their ideas and plot lines.
- The Gala youngster acknowledges how fortunate he has been in the folk who have advised him along the way.
- The library media specialist is, in the midst of these dilemmas, in a unique and fortunate position.
- This Christmas, I sincerely hope your hearts will go out to those less fortunate than yourselves.
- We were ever so fortunate as to recover your collection intact.
- You are very fortunate that I don't make you actually sit in the real sea.
THESAURUS
happening because of good luck, or bringing you good luck: · a lucky guess· Seven is considered a lucky number.· It’s lucky that I’ve got some spare keys.· Italy got a lucky goal in the last five minutes of the game.· ‘How did you know he’d be there?’ ‘It was a lucky guess.’
happening because of good luck. Fortunate is more formal than lucky: · It was extremely fortunate that there was no one in the building when the bomb went off.· I’m in the fortunate position of doing a job I love.· Some plants actually prefer a lot of shade, which is fortunate for gardeners choosing plants for gloomy corners.
(also it’s a good job (that) British English) spoken used when saying that there would have been problems if something had not happened: · It’s a good thing that you brought an umbrella with you.· It’s a good job I’m here to help.
extremely lucky in a way that is almost unbelievable: · A teenager had a miraculous escape last night when the car she was travelling in overturned.· The doctor gave her a month to live but she made a miraculous recovery.· It was miraculous that no one was seriously injured in the accident.
formal happening because of good luck: · a fortuitous decision· a fortuitous coincidence· It was fortuitous that no one else was hurt.
informal something that happens by chance, not because of skill or good judgment: · The goal was a fluke.· By a fluke, he managed to get the question right.
used when saying that someone is lucky and the situation is right for them: · Making money from buying property is easy – you just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Longman Language Activatora lucky thing that happens a lucky event happens because of good luck, and not because of hard work, careful planning etc: lucky guess/win/escape etc: · "How did you know he'd be there?" "It was a lucky guess."· Italy got a lucky goal in the last five minutes of the game.it is lucky (that): · ''It's lucky that you remembered about the passports," said Barry as they drove away.
lucky - use this especially about something that happens which saves you from danger or serious trouble. Fortunate is more formal than lucky: it is fortunate (that): · It is extremely fortunate that there was no-one in the building when the bomb went off.fortunate for: · Some plants actually prefer a lot of shade, which is fortunate for gardeners choosing plants for gloomy corners.
because of good luck - use this when something dangerous or unpleasant is avoided as a result of good luck: · I had forgotten my key, but luckily Ahmed was there and let me in.· Fortunately, there was no-one in the office when the fire started.luckily/fortunately for: · Luckily for us it didn't rain till the evening.
also it's a good job British spoken say this when something lucky happens that saves you from experiencing problems or danger: it's a good thing (that): · It's a good thing I brought my camera.· It's a good job you didn't scream.
something lucky that happens to you very unexpectedly and saves you from a difficult or inconvenient situation: · My car had broken down opposite a garage, which was a real stroke of luck.· Here's a letter from my father with a cheque inside - isn't that a stroke of luck!it is a stroke of luck (that): · It was a stroke of luck that they'd just substituted their usual penalty taker.
if it is your lucky day, night etc , you are lucky and something good happens then: · I have a feeling today's going to be my lucky day.· He kissed her again and then started up the car. Tonight was his lucky night.
use this when something very dangerous or unpleasant is avoided as a result of good luck, in a way that is almost unbelievable: · A teenager had a miraculous escape last night when the car she was travelling in overturned.· The doctor gave her a month to live but she made a miraculous recovery.it is miraculous (that): · The emergency services said it was miraculous that no-one was seriously injured.
informal something very surprising that only happens because of luck, not because of your skill or planning: · I'll have to win more than once, otherwise people will think it was a fluke.
a lucky person if you are lucky , good things happen to you and things go well for you, because you have good luck and not because of hard work, careful planning etc: · Isn't she lucky - she can eat what she wants and she never gets fat.· There are monkeys and zebra, and if you're lucky you might see a lion.lucky to do something: · I'm lucky to live in a nice house and be married to such a nice man.lucky (that): · Arthur left the front door unlocked - we're lucky that nothing was stolen.lucky with: · Apart from the sprained ankle, I've been very lucky with injuries (=I haven't had many).think/count yourself lucky (=used to say that someone should consider themselves lucky): · He should count himself lucky not to have been blamed for the whole fiasco.
lucky, especially when you are luckier than other people. Fortunate is more formal than lucky: · David managed to escape, but the others were not so fortunate.fortunate to do something: · I am fortunate to work in a school where all the children are extremely motivated.
British informal use this about someone who is lucky to be able to do something, when you are jealous because you would like to do it: · That jammy devil Steve has got out of the washing up again.
to be lucky, especially because you get the thing that you wanted although you did not really expect to get it: · You're in luck, there are still a few tickets left.· If you like Californian wine you could be in luck - we are giving away 100 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon.
you say some people have all the luck when you are talking about someone who is always very lucky, especially when you are jealous of their good luck: · It costs a fortune to buy a Porsche - some people have all the luck.
to be lucky all the time, so that although you are often in dangerous situations, it seems that nothing can harm you: · By his own admission he had led a charmed life. He had survived a train crash when he was seventeen.
British you say it's all right for some when you think someone else is lucky because they are enjoying themselves, having an easy life etc and you are jealous of them: · You're going to Hawaii? It's all right for some!· It's all right for some. I've got to stay in and work this evening.
to be lucky because you have the chance to do something you wanted to do or something that most other people do not have the chance to do: · I went along to the audition with everyone else, and was lucky enough to get the part.· In 1957 I had the good fortune to be invited on a lecture tour of Switzerland.
to be successful or get into a good situation as a result of good luck, especially after you have been experiencing difficulty: · Nathan had a series of jobs where he wasn't happy, but this time he's really fallen on his feet.· Don't worry about Nina -- she always falls on her feet.
to be lucky because you are in a particular place when something good is offered or becomes available: · "You did well to get that contract.'' "Not really, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.''· Being a successful news photographer is all about being in the right place at the right time.
American informal an expression meaning to be very lucky on a particular occasion: · I didn't have any idea what I was doing, but I lucked out and wound up with a good job.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY I was fortunate enough to obtain a research studentship at Stanford. We’ve been more fortunate than a lot of farmers.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I was fortunate enough to obtain a research studentship at Stanford. We’ve been more fortunate than a lot of farmers.· It was just a happy coincidence that he was there too.
(=believe you are lucky etc) Consider yourself lucky you weren’t in the car at the time.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB Consider yourself lucky you weren’t in the car at the time.· I wonder if the polls will be as fortunate.· Then you would be as fortunate as I have been.· The reality is that few of you will be as fortunate.· But we were lucky to be alive; so many people we knew had not been as fortunate.· How much worse it must be for those who haven't been as fortunate as I in recovering from such trauma.
· It is unusual to find documentary evidence earlier than the fifteenth century, and extremely fortunate to find actual details of buildings.· The company I was in was extremely fortunate.· Pond keepers are extremely fortunate to have a vast selection of waterlilies to choose from, available in many shades of colour.· Conner and Kolb were extremely fortunate to escape both the enemy and fire from their own side.· Ambulance crews who treated the child said she was extremely fortunate not to suffer serious eye injuries in the incident.· Earth was extremely fortunate to receive no more than a rain of fireballs during the twelfth century!· Yet Simmons was extremely fortunate to survive beyond his first over.· We are extremely fortunate that such a devastating virus is so difficult to effectively transmit from person to person.
· Caesar will never know how fortunate he was to survive this episode.· He fears this may be so, irrespective of how fortunate his situation may be in reality.· Collecting rubbish, he thought, would remind him of how fortunate he was even to have been on the circuit.· As Finch approached Howland, she, too, realized how fortunate she was to be able to find the island.· The Gala youngster acknowledges how fortunate he has been in the folk who have advised him along the way.· Talking with others about ideas. How fortunate for you.· I know girls in their twenties who do, so I realise how fortunate I am.· Your own and only property. How fortunate can a man get, friends?
· Ten years later Lord Francis Russell was less fortunate.· A hired hand who worked miracles and shared what little he had with those few who were less fortunate.· For those of us who are less fortunate, Correct Letters could come in handy.· We lesser mortals who had been banished to such places as Wolverton were, however, less fortunate.· The other child whom I noticed in that Fourth Grade room was in an obvious way less fortunate.· For those of us less fortunate in the audience Bocca's technical prowess was devastating enough.· Phoenix officials often talk of the helping hand they give to the less fortunate.
· For many the comparison is not with those who are more fortunate but with their own past position.· Despite his ordeal, Weathers was far more fortunate than others trapped in the blizzard.· I couldn't have been more fortunate in working with two more intelligent and delightful men.· Yet he is more fortunate than most landowners, because he owns frontage on the Guadalupe River, which is still running.· They had heating in their classrooms and dormitories, and therefore were more fortunate than their southern colleagues.· The end of my days was reserved for another, and I hope more fortunate, occasion.· By the order of words the poet even hints that Thessaly is more fortunate than her sister Sparta.· Some were more fortunate than others because their land had a spring.
· The Liverpool mourners were most fortunate than most.· When Troy fell, Agamemnon was the most fortunate of the victorious chieftains.· I gasped at her beauty and, like the rest, threw envious glances at her most fortunate husband.· You can consider yourself most fortunate to be blessed like this with such a strong celestial advantage.· My wile and I consider this to be a most fortunate match.
· Not all were so fortunate with their billetors.· This voyage was not so fortunate as the first two.· A Guardian journalist, Sarah Tisdall, was not so fortunate.· We were ever so fortunate as to recover your collection intact.· Carrick himself was not so fortunate.· What of children who are not so fortunate?
· We are very fortunate that Peggy Spencer has agreed to take the afternoon herself.· We are very fortunate in this country to say that prosperity and suffering, both are inherently contributing factors for unity.· So far I have been very fortunate and have had at least one painting accepted each time I have tried.· I was very fortunate to get the first one.· Otherwise we have been very fortunate.· He was just a very extraordinary man and I was very fortunate to have had those twelve years.· We were very fortunate to sell it to some one in Charleston.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- The organization is collecting canned food to help the less fortunate.
- Another case of hard-hearted capitalists pushing aside the less fortunate to enhance their investments?
- He devoted his time to prayer and aiding the less fortunate.
- His capacity to persuade people to pay attention to the plight of the less fortunate was constant.
- In the wider world we examine the great differences between countries like our own and the less fortunate poor world.
- It should be spending them on the less fortunate.
- Phoenix officials often talk of the helping hand they give to the less fortunate.
- The proposals include a comprehensive programme of security and protection for all those engaged in helping the less fortunate.
WORD FAMILYnounfortunemisfortuneunfortunateadjectivefortunate ≠ unfortunateadverbfortunately ≠ unfortunately
1someone who is fortunate has something good happen to them, or is in a good situation SYN luckyfortunate to do something I’ve been fortunate to find a career that I love. I was fortunate enough to obtain a research studentship at Stanford.fortunate in doing something She felt fortunate in being able to please herself where she lived.fortunate that I’m fortunate that I have such an understanding wife.more/less fortunate than somebody We’ve been more fortunate than a lot of farmers.► see thesaurus at lucky2a fortunate event is one in which something good happens by chance, especially when this saves you from trouble or danger SYN lucky: By a fortunate coincidence, a passer-by heard her cries for help.3the less fortunate people who are poor: We should all consider the plight of the less fortunate.