coincidence

noun

co·​in·​ci·​dence kō-ˈin(t)-sə-dən(t)s 

-sə-ˌden(t)s

1

: the act or condition of coinciding : correspondence

… a perfect coincidence between truth and goodness …

—Robert South

2

: the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection

… causal connection requires something more than mere coincidence as to time and place …

—Wayne R. LaFave

also : any of these occurrences

Synonyms

• coexistence
• concurrence
• concurrency

Examples of coincidence in a Sentence

It was mere coincidence that brought them together so far from Chicago.

By coincidence, every man in the room was named Fred.

“I'm going to Boston this weekend.” “What a coincidence! I am too.”

It was no coincidence that he quit his job at the bank a day after the robbery.

a series of strange coincidences

By a fortunate coincidence, we arrived at the theater at the same time.

Scientists have no explanation for the coincidence of these phenomena.

Recent Examples on the Web

There were also the little coincidences that had poetry of their own. —Nicholas Casey Nicholas Casey, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024

That is no coincidence: Kernel’s chief culinary officer, Andrew Black, was a sous-chef at Eleven Madison Park, a three-Michelin-star restaurant with a $365 tasting menu, located a block away from Kernel. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024

Foster placement changes in California decreased by 16% since the launch of the hotline, according to the data, and advocates say that’s no coincidence. —Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024

That’s no coincidence, Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University political science professor, said. —Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2024

That uneven parallel, the orca’s understanding of where her mother can be found, is no coincidence. —David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024

There is simply no possible way this is a coincidence. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024

Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but whatever this is seems both deliberate and predictable. —Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 28 Mar. 2024

See, the fact that the moon is the perfect size to cover up the face of the sun in the sky is a total coincidence. —Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin coincidentia, derivative of coincident-, coincidens, present participle of coincidere "to agree in nature, coincide"

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

coincidence

noun

co·​in·​ci·​dence kō-ˈin(t)-səd-ən(t)s 

1

: the act or condition of coinciding

2

a

: two things that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection

b

: either one of these happenings