serendipitous

[ser-uhn-dip-i-tuhs]

adjective

1. come upon or found by accident; fortuitous.

   serendipitous scientific discoveries.

2. good; beneficial; favorable.

   serendipitous weather for our vacation.

Other Word Forms

• serendipitously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of serendipitous¹

First recorded in 1940–45; serendipit(y) + -ous

Example Sentences

Gen. Loretta Lynch had a serendipitous meeting on a private jet.

From Los Angeles Times

"When we are at a cafe, if I suddenly say it's time to go now, the kids know we immediately leave quietly, because I've spotted someone serendipitously recording us."

From BBC

With streaming, we don’t really have those serendipitous discoveries any more.

From Los Angeles Times

Then, in a serendipitous twist, it gave him a lightning-bulb epiphany about his recently ailing swing.

From Los Angeles Times

It takes a lot of time to assemble so many artworks from so many different collections and museums, but the show launched serendipitously not quite a month after Donald Trump was sworn in as president.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accessible 
• advantageous 
• applicable 
• conducive 
• constructive 
• convenient 
• cooperative 
• crucial 
• essential 
• favorable 
• friendly 
• important 
• invaluable 
• practical 
• productive 
• profitable 
• significant 
• suitable 
• supportive 
• sympathetic