Synonyms of fortunate

fortunate

adjective

ˈfȯrch-nət 

1

as in happy

coming or happening by good luck especially unexpectedly

in a fortunate turn of events, the motel had one last vacancy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in lucky

having good luck

rabbits' feet are seen as making the carrier of them fortunate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lucky
• happy
• privileged
• gifted
• blessed
• favored
• promising
• blest
• golden
• hot
• fair

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfortunate
• unlucky
• unhappy
• hapless
• luckless
• disadvantaged
• cursed
• snakebitten
• ill-fated
• snakebit
• ill-starred
• star-crossed
• curst

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fortunate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of fortunate are happy, lucky, and providential. While all these words mean "meeting with unforeseen success," fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts.

fortunate in my investments

How does the word happy relate to other synonyms for fortunate?

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

a series of happy accidents

When is lucky a more appropriate choice than fortunate?

While the synonyms lucky and fortunate are close in meaning, lucky stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

won because of a lucky bounce

Where would providential be a reasonable alternative to fortunate?

In some situations, the words providential and fortunate are roughly equivalent. However, providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

a providential change in the weather

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fortunate

Beowulf was both more fortunate and less fortunate than these other Anglo-Saxon works—more fortunate in that the manuscript, although damaged, was not destroyed by the fire, less fortunate in that no transcripts had been made before 1731. —Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025

Local shop owners hope for 'killer' Halloween sales Tariff challenges are hitting on a calendar cycle where Halloween falls on a Friday, fortunate timing, local novelty shop owners said, as a weekend holiday typically means more social gatherings — and more sales. —Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Oct. 2025

Since that time, says Paine, even those fortunate enough to live under benevolent rule have seldom been more than one generation away from yet another dreadful monarch. —Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025

Still, some observers have questioned whether Aschenbrenner’s early results reflect skill or fortunate timing. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025