Synonyms of fortunate

fortunate

adjective

ˈfȯrch-nət 

1

as in lucky

coming or happening by good luck especially unexpectedly

in a fortunate turn of events, the motel had one last vacancy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lucky
• happy
• fortuitous
• convenient
• coincidental
• favorable
• providential
• unexpected
• fluky
• heaven-sent
• chance
• timely
• promising
• opportune
• hopeful
• bright
• good
• unforeseen
• beneficial
• benign
• seasonable
• accidental
• encouraging
• propitious
• advantageous
• auspicious
• serendipitous
• heartening
• profitable
• unlooked-for
• fair
• golden
• halcyon

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfortunate
• unhappy
• unlucky
• hapless
• luckless
• expected
• anticipated
• untimely
• inconvenient
• foreseen
• intentional
• inopportune
• unseasonable
• deliberate
• planned
• ill-fated
• ill-starred
• star-crossed
• disastrous
• catastrophic
• inauspicious
• unpromising
• calamitous

2

as in happy

having good luck

rabbits' feet are seen as making the carrier of them fortunate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lucky
• happy
• privileged
• gifted
• blessed
• favored
• promising
• golden
• hot
• fair

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfortunate
• unlucky
• unhappy
• hapless
• luckless
• disadvantaged
• cursed
• ill-fated
• snakebit
• ill-starred
• star-crossed

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fortunate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of fortunate are happy, lucky, and providential. While all these words mean "meeting with unforeseen success," fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts.

fortunate in my investments

How does the word happy relate to other synonyms for fortunate?

Happy combines the implications of lucky and fortunate with stress on being blessed.

a series of happy accidents

When is lucky a more appropriate choice than fortunate?

While the synonyms lucky and fortunate are close in meaning, lucky stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

won because of a lucky bounce

Where would providential be a reasonable alternative to fortunate?

In some situations, the words providential and fortunate are roughly equivalent. However, providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

a providential change in the weather

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fortunate

And if not for a fortunate deflection off a Bosnia and Herzegovina defender in the 78th minute, Canada would have found itself on the wrong side of the biggest upset of the World Cup so far. —Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026

By Rebecca Torrence and Bailey Lipschultz, Bloomberg The initial public offering for SpaceX is poised to generate billions of dollars in profits for the fortunate few investors who got in early on Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and artificial intelligence company. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026

The entire region is incredibly fortunate to have him as president of the Senate, regardless of any particular policy disagreement. —Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026

The only time Vegas beat him on Saturday was on Shea Theodore’s fortunate bounce off the end boards that hit Bussi and went in to win it for the Golden Knights in double overtime. —Jesse Granger, New York Times, 9 June 2026