fortunate
Americanadjective
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having good fortune; receiving good from uncertain or unexpected sources; lucky.
a fortunate young actor who got the lead in the play.
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bringing or indicating good fortune: resulting favorably; auspicious.
She made a fortunate decision to go on to medical school.
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well-to-do; comfortable; prosperous.
a summer camp for less fortunate fourth graders.
adjective
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having good luck; lucky
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occurring by or bringing good fortune or luck; auspicious
Usage
What are other ways to say fortunate?
Someone who is fortunate has good fortune or enjoys good luck and success. How is fortunate different from happy and lucky? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Commonly Confused
See fortuitous.
Other Word Forms
- fortunately adverb
- fortunateness noun
- quasi-fortunate adjective
- quasi-fortunately adverb
- superfortunate adjective
- superfortunately adverb
Etymology
Origin of fortunate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fortunat, from Latin fortūnātus “made prosperous or happy” (past participle of fortūnāre ); fortune, -ate 1
Explanation
If you are lucky, you are fortunate. You can be fortunate to have avoided something terrible and you can be fortunate to have acquired, won, or been bestowed with something better than those around you, like wealth and good looks. The adjective fortunate comes from the Latin word fortunatus, meaning “prospered,” “prosperous,” “lucky,” or “happy.” Fortunate is related to the word fortune and they have similar meanings, in the sense that those fortunate enough to have a fortune most likely have gobs of money and are sometimes called “the fortunate.” When it comes to predicting the future, you could get bad news from a fortune teller about what’s in store for you, but if you’re fortunate — she’ll say something good.
Vocabulary lists containing fortunate
List 6
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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Tears of a Tiger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We’re fortunate to have them, and we’re moving forward together with them,” Carney said of the defectors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Cavallari: No. I feel pretty fortunate that I’ve been able to do a lot of really exciting things over the years.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
"Our government appreciated it as very fortunate and wise behaviour for its own sake," Kim Yo Jong said on Monday.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
On Earth, that appears to have happened about 4.6 billion years ago, giving our planet an unusually fortunate chemical starting point.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
“I’m sure they are, and they’re very fortunate to have a father as determined as you are,” President Davis said.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
