coincidence

noun co·in·ci·dence \ kō-ˈin(t)-sə-dən(t)s , -sə-ˌden(t)s \

Definition of coincidence

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

See coincidence defined for English-language learners

See coincidence defined for kids

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 of coincidence from the Web

Coincidence, more grist for the global warming mill or merely a climatological rarity from the wonderful world of wild wacky weather?

— charles selle, Lake County News-Sun, "Selle: Depths of deluge cause disastrous county flooding," 17 July 2017
While researching the production of each card, Maresca discovered that all of the cabinet cards were photographed in Wisconsin —the reason behind this peculiar coincidence remains a mystery.

— chloe fein, The Cut, "Brides in the 1800s Used These Wedding Cards Like Instagram," 14 July 2017
With both Late Night and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon off the list, NBC got shut out, which could be pointed, or could just be a coincidence.

— vanityfair.com, "2017 Emmy Nominations: This Year’s Biggest Snubs and Surprises," 13 July 2017
This response, which is independent of the amount of food in the gut, shows that the peristaltic movement of oxygen is an adaptation, rather than just a coincidence.

— The Economist, "Sea spidersHow does an animal with no heart circulate oxygen?," 13 July 2017
Apple's decision to move there is likely no coincidence.

— don reisinger, Fortune, "Apple Ramps Up Imagination Tech Fight With New Office," 10 July 2017
In a delightful coincidence, the duo was together when they were informed they will be honored next year by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

— derek lawrence, EW.com, "Lin-Manuel Miranda and Weird Al Yankovic are getting Walk of Fame stars — and they were together when they found out," 22 June 2017
Reuters • Stock Markets Slide on Oil Patch Coincidence or not, Salman’s ascension comes at a time when the world oil market, and Saudi’s strategy for keeping it stable, is in disarray.

— geoffrey smith, Fortune, "CEO Daily: Wednesday, 21st June," 21 June 2017
There’s a happy coincidence of themes between the National Portrait Gallery's display of the Piri photograph and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

— Smithsonian, "Why Piri Thomas’ Coming of Age Memoir Still Resonates Today," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coincidence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of coincidence

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

See Words from the same year

coincidence Synonyms

Synonyms

coexistence, concurrence, concurrency

Related Words

development, happening, occurrence; coevality, contemporaneousness, simultaneousness, synchronism, synchrony

Near Antonyms

asynchrony (or asynchronism)

COINCIDENCE Defined for English Language Learners

coincidence

noun

Definition of coincidence for English Language Learners

: a situation in which events happen at the same time in a way that is not planned or expected
: the occurrence of two or more things at the same time
: the state of two or more things being the same