fortunately

American  

[fawr-chuh-nit-lee] / ˈfɔr tʃə nɪt li /

adverb

1. it is fortunate that.

   The groceries cost more than I thought they would, but fortunately I had just enough money with me.

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fortunately British  

/ ˈfɔːtʃənɪtlɪ /

adverb

1. (sentence modifier) it is fortunate that; luckily

2. in a fortunate manner

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Etymology

Origin of fortunately

First recorded in 1540–60; fortunate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Among their finds is a fire extinguisher dating from 1942, newspapers from the week after D-Day, and a tin of "whole chicken in jelly" - fortunately empty.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

“Our sales are hitting new records at our bars downtown, fortunately, but our costs have risen dramatically.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

But fortunately, you can get a sense of the pick distribution just by looking at the numbers on ESPN, CBS and Yahoo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Fascist regimes of the last century were much shorter-lived, fortunately.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

He, fortunately, understood English, recognized the discourse as that which Shaw had broadcasted the previous evening, realized the significance of what had happened, and sent a letter to the medical press about it.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley