serendipity

noun ser·en·dip·i·ty \ ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of serendipity

: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this

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Examples of serendipity in a Sentence

As they leapfrog from South Africa to Singapore in search of local delicacies, the authors prove again and again that serendipity is the traveler's strongest ally: many of their most memorable meals issue from the hands of generous strangers … —Sarah Karnasiewicz, Saveur, June/July 2008
If reporters fail to keep these files, they seldom luck into bigger stories. Their investigative work typically happens only by design—analyzing the news, for instance—not by serendipity. —Michael J. Bugeja, Editor & Publisher, 13 Jan. 2003
A week earlier, the doctor would have had no recourse but to make an incision in the baby's skin to get to a vein—a precarious option now, since time was running short and it would take nearly half an hour to assemble the necessary equipment. But in an extraordinary bit of serendipity, Hanson had attended a seminar on emergency medical care for children just a week before. —David Ruben, Parenting, December/January 1996
They found each other by pure serendipity.

Recent Examples of serendipity from the Web

This being March, there’s an element of serendipity, too.

— george schroeder, USA TODAY, "Final Four: 'Special season' for Bill Self and Kansas can get even better," 29 Mar. 2018
The serendipity of the exhibit’s timing isn’t lost on Carr.

— samantha bakall, OregonLive.com, "In 'Oregon's Civil Rights Years' exhibit, issues still resonate today," 11 Jan. 2018
Copeland and Prine might not seem to be obvious collaborators, and indeed their partnership originated via serendipity.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Shemekia Copeland revs up for new sounds," 27 Mar. 2018
In a bit of serendipity, the Blazers' old football building -- the one where Watts delivered his death sentence -- has been approved for demolition by the UA System Board of Trustees.

— joseph goodman, AL.com, "Under construction this spring, a Top 25 UAB football team," 1 Mar. 2018
The discovery was made by serendipity and almost lost forever.

— kenneth chang, New York Times, "Where NASA Put a Parking Lot, Dinosaurs and Mammals Once Crossed Paths," 31 Jan. 2018
Pawol bounced around amateur leagues and Division I baseball for a decade before a bit of serendipity fell her way in 2015.

— shawn windsor, Detroit Free Press, "How umpire at Detroit Tigers game is ready to break gender barrier," 23 Feb. 2018
But that kind of serendipity is just life for the Dutch designer.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "This NYFW Collaboration Has Everything: Kendall Jenner, Adidas Tracksuits, and Serious Instagram Appeal," 5 Feb. 2018
In 1947, just a year after Spencer's snack food serendipity, the first commercial microwave oven hit the market.

— matt blitz, Popular Mechanics, "The Amazing True Story of How the Microwave Was Invented by Accident," 24 Feb. 2016

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

Where Does 'Serendipity' Come From?

In the mid-1700s, English author Horace Walpole stumbled upon an interesting tidbit of information while researching a coat of arms. In a letter to his friend Horace Mann he wrote: "This discovery indeed is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word, which as I have nothing better to tell you, I shall endeavor to explain to you: you will understand it better by the derivation than by the definition. I once read a silly fairy tale, called 'The Three Princes of Serendip': as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of…." Walpole's memory of the tale (which, as it turns out, was not quite accurate) gave serendipity the meaning it retains to this day.