fortunately
Americanadverb
adverb
-
(sentence modifier) it is fortunate that; luckily
-
in a fortunate manner
Etymology
Origin of fortunately
First recorded in 1540–60; fortunate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
Perhaps fortunately, the pandemic forced the entire G7 event to be canceled in 2020.
From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026
And so I was dreading having to editorialize about this, but fortunately a pollster did it for me.
From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026
“I fortunately escaped without a wound, though the right wing where I stood was exposed to and received all the enemy’s fire,” he wrote after a 1754 skirmish with the French.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
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
No matter how many people spoke to him that day, Ralph refused to come out of the mitten thumb, which fortunately already had an excellent peephole.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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.
