CHANCY Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

chancy

adjective

Definition of chancy

as in chance

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of chancy Actions that seemed foolhardy when Rue was younger now come off as merely chancy, with Zendaya imparting enough hard-knock experience to pull off bigger swings. — Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026 Most storms occur in the summer months when the subtropical climate is at its most humid, making August’s Perseid meteor shower a chancier time to visit. — Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025 Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy. — WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018 In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes. — David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018 In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking. — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017 Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager. — Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017 George Washington's chancy nighttime retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan was a kind of Colonial-era Dunkirk. — Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chancy

Adjective

As Uranus and Neptune harmonize, breakthroughs AND breakdowns are fortuitous.

— USA TODAY, USA Today, 15 July 2026
There’s something fortuitous about a bird of prey being the first one tracked by the Orlando location.

— Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026

Definition of fortuitous

Adjective

Those reactions can look like freak weather, but the judgment underneath them isn’t random.

— ESMT Berlin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
In partnership with research firm ETC Institute, the city also mailed surveys to a random sample of at least 500 households across Elgin.

— Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

After Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed her opinion that transgender girls don’t belong in youth sports, the W has once again become an inadvertent political prop in a larger conversation.

— Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
While taxpayers would still need to report their foreign financial accounts, combining two separate filing systems into one would eliminate a source of confusion that has resulted in many inadvertent filing failures.

— Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of inadvertent

Adjective

The underlying logic is that these elements of the bachelor’s degree, which are not intrinsic to a student’s area of study or necessary for their professional preparedness, are incidental to the overall value of the degree.

— Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
In 2023, my cat was diagnosed with abdominal cancer, completely incidental on exam.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 29 July 2026

Definition of incidental

Adjective

For some lucky Housewives, the show has been a springboard to newfound fortune and independence.

— Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
No one won the jackpot or the $1 million Match 5 prize, but one lucky person in Wisconsin won the $2 million Match 5 + Power Play prize, according to Powerball's website.

— Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026