Synonyms of fortuitous

fortuitous

adjective

fȯr-ˈtü-ə-təs 

1

as in lucky

coming or happening by good luck especially unexpectedly

your arrival just before the thunderstorm was fortuitous

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lucky
• fortunate
• happy
• coincidental
• convenient
• favorable
• providential
• unexpected
• fluky
• heaven-sent
• timely
• unforeseen
• opportune
• accidental
• promising
• serendipitous
• chance
• benign
• bright
• propitious
• beneficial
• good
• auspicious
• hopeful
• unlooked-for
• seasonable
• advantageous
• encouraging
• profitable
• golden
• fair
• heartening
• halcyon

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfortunate
• unlucky
• unhappy
• untimely
• hapless
• luckless
• inconvenient
• inopportune
• anticipated
• intentional
• foreseen
• unseasonable
• deliberate
• expected
• planned
• ill-fated
• ill-starred
• disastrous
• star-crossed
• inauspicious
• catastrophic
• unpromising
• calamitous

2

as in accidental

happening by chance

firmly believes that the creation of the universe was something other than just the fortuitous coming together of particles of matter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accidental
• unexpected
• chance
• inadvertent
• incidental
• unintentional
• unplanned
• unintended
• odd
• casual
• unwitting
• coincidental
• unpremeditated
• fluky
• random
• arbitrary
• haphazard
• unforeseen
• unforeseeable
• uncertain
• aimless
• desultory
• freak
• unconscious
• involuntary
• forced
• unprompted
• coerced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intentional
• deliberate
• intended
• planned
• inevitable
• premeditated
• calculated
• certain
• predictable
• sure
• foreseeable
• foreseen
• destined
• fixed
• set
• expected
• predetermined
• premeditative
• prescribed
• conscious
• prepense
• predestined
• knowing
• voluntary
• preordained
• willful
• foreordained
• volunteer
• unforced
• freewill

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fortuitous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fortuitous are accidental, casual, and contingent. While all these words mean "not amenable to planning or prediction," fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause.

a series of fortuitous events

When is it sensible to use accidental instead of fortuitous?

The meanings of accidental and fortuitous largely overlap; however, accidental stresses chance.

any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental

When might casual be a better fit than fortuitous?

While in some cases nearly identical to fortuitous, casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent.

a casual encounter with a stranger

When could contingent be used to replace fortuitous?

Although the words contingent and fortuitous have much in common, 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fortuitous

The two were poolside on one of those fortuitous, hot Southern California days of February. —Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026

The goal was equal parts finesse and fortuitous, with Ramsey’s shot preceded by a gorgeous pass inside from Sandro Tonali and followed by a big deflection off Jarrad Branthwaite. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026

Of course, longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg thought otherwise, and with Schindler's List, the pairing once again proves fortuitous and captivating. —Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026

Sundance’s move to Boulder is coinciding with a fortuitous moment in the specialty film space, with an uptick in post-pandemic interest from younger moviegoers. —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 7 Feb. 2026

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