fortunate

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adjective for·tu·nate \ ˈfȯrch-nət , ˈfȯr-chə- \

Definition of fortunate

1 :bringing some good thing not foreseen as certain :auspicious

made a fortunate investment

2 :receiving some unexpected good

How fortunate we are to get such a nice room!

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fortunateness

noun

See fortunate defined for English-language learners

See fortunate defined for kids

Examples of fortunate in a Sentence

How fortunate we were to find that restaurant!
We should try to help others who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Recent Examples of fortunate from the Web

Daly was fortunate that his big night didn’t end early and in disaster.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: Suddenly there's bad blood in the IndyCar paddock," 27 Aug. 2017
Ryan is fortunate, in a way, that the events in Charlottesville, and Trump’s response to them, occurred amid a lengthy congressional recess, with Republican elected officials scattered across the country rather than gathered in Washington, D.C.

— brian beutler, New Republic, "Remember This: Paul Ryan Is Pandering to Neo-Nazis," 23 Aug. 2017
But for those who aren’t as fortunate there are countless options in all price ranges.

— gretchen mckay, chicagotribune.com, "Exploring surf and turf in Santa Barbara, America's Riviera," 14 Aug. 2017
McMaster has not been as fortunate as Mattis in avoiding the White House’s internecine squabbles.

— bill powell, Newsweek, "Trump's Generals Can Save The World From War—And Stop The Crazy," 12 Aug. 2017
Consequently, less fortunate or struggling students often get segregated into these vocational centers.

— edward l. glaeser, National Review, "The War on Work — and How to End It," 1 Aug. 2017
Newton, who through a team spokesman declined comment for this story, could still stand after those hits, but some of his teammates weren’t as fortunate.

— jonathan jones, SI.com, "The Reprogramming of Cam Newton," 26 July 2017
Elamin was released after five hours and is quick to acknowledge that others weren’t so fortunate: Yassin Abdelrhman, a green card holder in his late seventies from Sudan, was reportedly held at JFK for 30 hours.

— kristal brent zook, Essence.com, "How Donald Trump's Travel Ban Attempts Have Deeply Wounded Black Families And Individuals," 18 July 2017
Zordani said the district is fortunate to have good communities and schools for people to live and raise their families.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "New Democrat enters race to unseat Roskam," 17 July 2017

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

First Known Use of fortunate

14th century

fortunate Synonyms

Synonyms

fluky (also flukey), fortuitous, happy, heaven-sent, lucky, providential

Synonym Discussion of fortunate

lucky, fortunate, happy, providential mean meeting with unforeseen success. lucky stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

- won because of a lucky bounce

fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts.

- fortunate in my investments

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

- a series of happy accidents

providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

- a providential change in the weather

FORTUNATE Defined for English Language Learners

fortunate

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adjective

Definition of fortunate for English Language Learners

: having good luck : enjoying good fortune
: coming or happening because of good luck

FORTUNATE Defined for Kids

fortunate

play

adjective for·tu·nate \ ˈfȯr-chə-nət \

Definition of fortunate for Students

1 :bringing a good result

a fortunate discovery

2 :having good luck :lucky She was fortunate to have avoided injury.

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fortunately

adverb

Learn More about fortunate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fortunate Spanish Central: Translation of fortunate Nglish: Translation of fortunate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fortunate for Arabic speakers

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fortunate

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fortunateness

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FORTUNATE Defined for English Language Learners

fortunate

Definition of fortunate for English Language Learners

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fortunate

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fortunately

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