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

By coincidence or design, the Democratic initiatives on contraception came as Biden issued an executive order limiting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2024

That’s not a coincidence to Smith, who believes God is using her to reach people who might otherwise be unreachable. —Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024

Others will argue that the fact that the majority of the 2007–2019 period was a time of Conservative rule isn’t a coincidence. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune Europe, 31 May 2024

By coincidence, the series arrives less than two months after O.J.‘s death at 76, an event that sparked yet another wave of interest in the murders and a flurry of think pieces about the man widely believed to have committed them — rather than the victims. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 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