fortuitous

adjective

for·tu·itous fȯr-ˈtü-ə-təs How to pronounce fortuitous (audio)

-ˈtyü-,

fər-

: occurring by chance

: fortunate, lucky

from a cost standpoint, the company's timing is fortuitous

Business Week

: coming or happening by a lucky chance

belted down the stairs, and there was a fortuitous train

Doris Lessing

fortuitously adverb

fortuitousness noun

Did you know?

For some 250 years, until the early part of the 20th century, "fortuitous" meant one thing only: "happening by chance." This was no accident; its Latin forebear, fortuitus, derives from the same ancient root as the Latin word for "chance," which is "fors." But the fact that "fortuitous" sounds like a blend of "fortunate" and "felicitous" (meaning "happily suited to an occasion") may have been what ultimately led to a second meaning: "fortunate." That use has been disparaged by critics, but it is now well established. Perhaps the seeds of the newer sense were planted by earlier writers applying overtones of good fortune to something that is a chance occurrence. In fact, today we quite often apply "fortuitous" to something that is a chance occurrence but has a favorable result.

Example Sentences

… the intensification of competition on the job market has only exacerbated our class anxiety, as hiring seems all the more uncertain if not fortuitous.

Jeffrey J. Williams, College English, November 2003 … he is a brilliant candidate not despite his anti-intellectualism but because of it. He has stumbled upon a fortuitous moment in which the political culture, tired of wonks and pointy-heads and ideologues, yearns instead for a candidate unburdened by, or even hostile to, ideas.

Jonathan Chait, New Republic, 20 Dec. 1999 Her $170, 000 bid on what is now Matanzas Creek's vineyard was accepted. The south-facing slope was a fortuitous find … its worth more than 10 times as much today.

Jeff Morgan, Wine Spectator, 15 May 1996 His presence there was entirely fortuitous. You could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time.

Recent Examples on the Web This was fortuitous, because Myst's developer, Cyan, was preparing an entirely new dimension of Myst.

PCMAG, 27 July 2022 The Blues tied the game at 2 with 52.8 seconds left in the second period after a fortuitous bounce off the glass.

Gene Myers, Detroit Free Press, 27 Apr. 2022 Janey's ascension to the role leading one of America's oldest cities seems the result of a series of fortuitous events.

Abby Phillip And Jeff Simon, CNN, 11 Apr. 2021 The meeting was fortuitous for a number of reasons.

Caitlyn Hitt, PEOPLE.com, 28 June 2022 The couple’s attention to the house proved fortuitous.

New York Times, 2 Dec. 2021 The All-Star Game’s birth was a fortuitous byproduct of the Great Depression.

Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2022 Forrest’s tendency to ignore guidance would later prove fortuitous.

David Jeans, Forbes, 21 June 2022 Mozart’s clarinet works — the Concerto and Quintet chief among them — all owe their genesis to Anton Stadler, a clarinet virtuoso whose friendship with Mozart proved especially fortuitous.

Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2022 See More

单词	fortuitously
释义	fortuitous adjective for·tu·itous fȯr-ˈtü-ə-təs -ˈtyü-, fər- 1 : occurring by chance 2 a : fortunate, lucky from a cost standpoint, the company's timing is fortuitous Business Week b : coming or happening by a lucky chance belted down the stairs, and there was a fortuitous train Doris Lessing fortuitously adverb fortuitousness noun Did you know? For some 250 years, until the early part of the 20th century, "fortuitous" meant one thing only: "happening by chance." This was no accident; its Latin forebear, fortuitus, derives from the same ancient root as the Latin word for "chance," which is "fors." But the fact that "fortuitous" sounds like a blend of "fortunate" and "felicitous" (meaning "happily suited to an occasion") may have been what ultimately led to a second meaning: "fortunate." That use has been disparaged by critics, but it is now well established. Perhaps the seeds of the newer sense were planted by earlier writers applying overtones of good fortune to something that is a chance occurrence. In fact, today we quite often apply "fortuitous" to something that is a chance occurrence but has a favorable result. Synonyms fluky flukey fortunate happy heaven-sent lucky providential See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences … the intensification of competition on the job market has only exacerbated our class anxiety, as hiring seems all the more uncertain if not fortuitous. Jeffrey J. Williams, College English, November 2003 … he is a brilliant candidate not despite his anti-intellectualism but because of it. He has stumbled upon a fortuitous moment in which the political culture, tired of wonks and pointy-heads and ideologues, yearns instead for a candidate unburdened by, or even hostile to, ideas. Jonathan Chait, New Republic, 20 Dec. 1999 Her $170, 000 bid on what is now Matanzas Creek's vineyard was accepted. The south-facing slope was a fortuitous find … its worth more than 10 times as much today. Jeff Morgan, Wine Spectator, 15 May 1996 His presence there was entirely fortuitous. You could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time. Recent Examples on the Web This was fortuitous, because Myst's developer, Cyan, was preparing an entirely new dimension of Myst. PCMAG, 27 July 2022 The Blues tied the game at 2 with 52.8 seconds left in the second period after a fortuitous bounce off the glass. Gene Myers, Detroit Free Press, 27 Apr. 2022 Janey's ascension to the role leading one of America's oldest cities seems the result of a series of fortuitous events. Abby Phillip And Jeff Simon, CNN, 11 Apr. 2021 The meeting was fortuitous for a number of reasons. Caitlyn Hitt, PEOPLE.com, 28 June 2022 The couple’s attention to the house proved fortuitous. New York Times, 2 Dec. 2021 The All-Star Game’s birth was a fortuitous byproduct of the Great Depression. Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2022 Forrest’s tendency to ignore guidance would later prove fortuitous. David Jeans, Forbes, 21 June 2022 Mozart’s clarinet works — the Concerto and Quintet chief among them — all owe their genesis to Anton Stadler, a clarinet virtuoso whose friendship with Mozart proved especially fortuitous. Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology Latin fortuitus; akin to Latin fort-, fors chance — more at fortune entry 1 First Known Use 1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1 fortuitously adverb as in inadvertently Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance inadvertently unwittingly accidentally unintentionally unconsciously arbitrarily casually whimsically carelessly capriciously informally offhandedly indiscriminately unpredictably randomly promiscuously haphazardly intermittently offhand fitfully irregularly disconnectedly disjointedly spottily haphazard desultorily aimlessly erratically willy-nilly anyway anyhow anywise topsy-turvy higgledy-piggledy hit or miss helter-skelter Antonyms & Near Antonyms systematically formally methodically deliberately carefully intentionally purposely meticulously orderly purposefully gingerly punctiliously See More
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fortuitous

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

adverb