fortunately

American

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

adverb

it is fortunate that.

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

fortunately British

/ ˈfɔːtʃənɪtlɪ /

adverb

(sentence modifier) it is fortunate that; luckily
in a fortunate manner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

And so I was dreading having to editorialize about this, but fortunately a pollster did it for me.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026

Maybe, but fortunately for us, the Chateau Marmont no longer allows guests to perform seances.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 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

Quickly, it became apparent that the heat pump didn't work properly, but fortunately it was under guarantee and once it had been replaced it worked very well indeed.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

I got a little disappointed, because it would have been a logical explanation, which is always the best kind, although fortunately it isn’t the only kind.

From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023