Definition of FORTUITOUS

Choose the Right Synonym for fortuitous

accidental, fortuitous, casual, contingent mean not amenable to planning or prediction. accidental stresses chance. any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause. a series of fortuitous events casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent. a casual encounter with a stranger contingent suggests possibility of happening but stresses uncertainty and dependence on other future events for existence or occurrence. the contingent effects of the proposed law

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.

Examples of fortuitous in a Sentence

… 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

Over a series of e-mails, Lee described the Eagles’ playoff run as a climactic moment for the company, a fortuitous reward for years of hard work. — Tim Rohan, SI.com, "An Underdog Story: How Two Friends in China Are Feeding the Eagles' Dog Mask Craze," 24 Jan. 2018 The timing of the movie’s release couldn’t be more fortuitous, as calls for reform have grown louder amid an FBI investigation into numerous high-profile programs. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "Tony Parker Q&A: Life After Basketball and the Spurs' Season," 28 Mar. 2018 When de Gayle fitted Hope in the look, something fortuitous happened. — Alexandra Macon, Vogue, "In The Spanish Princess, Catherine of Aragon’s Wedding Dress May Be All the Bridal Inspiration You Really Need," 24 Apr. 2019 Detroit’s timing was also fortuitous, with steep stock declines Tuesday buoying demand for bonds. — Gunjan Banerji, WSJ, "Detroit Sees Big Demand in Muni Market Return," 4 Dec. 2018 To think his unlikely tale took a fortuitous turn in 1975 when Nelson saw an announcement in The Sporting News for a tryout with the Mavericks, owned by former actor Bing Russell — Kurt’s father. — David Haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Nellie Fox's card inspiration for Big League Chew: 'My dad used to say it was lightning in a pouch'," 24 May 2018 In another fortuitous turn of affordable fashion brilliance, Prada is launching light, perfect-for-summer tote bags. — Dawn Spinner Davis, Harper's BAZAAR, "B.Y.O. Bags By Prada," 3 June 2010 Just four years earlier, in a waiting room at the White House, Carnegie had a fortuitous encounter with a board member of the D.C. Library. — Andrew Zaleski, Curbed, "Can Apple stores be public spaces?," 3 Oct. 2018 The Cheech’ in Riverside is a most fortuitous and logical conclusion to his search for a significant permanent home for his unprecedented collection. — George Varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cheech Marin of Cheech & Chong talks about pot, comedy, music, golf and his Chicano art museum," 11 July 2018

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