as in coincidence
formal + literary
something that happens by chance
Our meeting was pure happenstance. We met each other by happenstance.
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Recent Examples of happenstance
International recruitment went from happenstance in the ’80s to an indispensable recruitment tactic that teams across the NCAA used to keep up.
—
Dylan Scott, Vox, 1 Apr. 2025
That’s partly happenstance, but also because broadcasters in Norway kept ordering new shows while others in Europe applied the brakes.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
This team has not lost 13 elimination games with this core group by happenstance.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 15 May 2025
This book lays out the reality that things are not just happenstance, explains how to identify patterns in one’s life, and how to receive restoration that prompts lasting change.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for happenstance
Dylan Scott, Vox, 1 Apr. 2025
That’s partly happenstance, but also because broadcasters in Norway kept ordering new shows while others in Europe applied the brakes.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
This team has not lost 13 elimination games with this core group by happenstance.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 15 May 2025
This book lays out the reality that things are not just happenstance, explains how to identify patterns in one’s life, and how to receive restoration that prompts lasting change.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for happenstance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happenstance
Noun
-
At the same time, Babs’s youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn’t seem at all like a coincidence.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
27 June 2025
-
That, however, wasn’t the big coincidence, as the sisters are close and have known about their relationship for many years.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Under the right circumstances, a small drone can destroy even the most robust concrete structure simply by bringing the detonator.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Using Trump as vinegar and a July 4 recess as honey, the South Dakotan rammed through a bill that many Republicans probably would have opposed under other circumstances.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Happenstance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happenstance. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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