Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of lucky are fortunate, happy, and providential. While all these words mean "meeting with unforeseen success," lucky stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

won because of a lucky bounce

When is fortunate a more appropriate choice than lucky?

The meanings of fortunate and lucky largely overlap; however, fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts.

fortunate in my investments

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

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

a series of happy accidents

When can providential be used instead of lucky?

Although the words providential and lucky have much in common, providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

a providential change in the weather

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 lucky And lucky for Gen Z just getting their start in tech, the roles don’t require a decade of experience. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025 And a few lucky ones just seem born for the stage. Nathan Green, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025 The lucky ticket was sold at Happy Hour in Blue Springs, which is about a 20-mile drive southeast from Kansas City. Don Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025 At one point, Doechii’s preppy aesthetic extended to a schoolroom set that a select number of fans were brought onstage to be part of — and one lucky scholar at a moving desk received a nearly 30-second lap dance. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lucky
Adjective
  • But those local socios are Perez’s power base, and keeping them happy is a big priority for him.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Its characters were prodigies who had private tutors and went to training camps for programming competitions, though their striving did not add up to a happy life.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The photographers in the red and white jackets run for cover, but the individual in the orange jacket is not so fortunate.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The Penguins were pretty fortunate to head to the locker room even at 2 after playing a fairly uninspiring first two periods.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Lucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lucky. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on lucky

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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