coincidence

[koh-in-si-duhns]

noun

1. a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance.

   Our meeting in Venice was pure coincidence.

   Synonyms: fate, luck, accident

2. the condition or fact of coinciding.

3. an instance of this.

coincidence

/ kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns /

noun

1. a chance occurrence of events remarkable either for being simultaneous or for apparently being connected

2. the fact, condition, or state of coinciding

3. (modifier) electronics of or relating to a circuit that produces an output pulse only when both its input terminals receive pulses within a specified interval Compare anticoincidence

   coincidence gate

Other Word Forms

• noncoincidence noun
• precoincidence noun
• supercoincidence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coincidence¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; coincid(ent) + -ence

Example Sentences

"Two incidents are coincidence, but three, five, 10 -- this is a deliberate and targeted grey-zone campaign against Europe, and Europe must respond," she told EU lawmakers on Wednesday.

Read more on Barron's

Along with the U.S. fiscal deterioration, the firm noted that it’s hardly a coincidence that gold has increased fourfold since 2008-09, when the Federal Reserve under Ben Bernanke instituted quantitative easing.

Read more on Barron's

“I feel like everything that happens to him in this stage is not a coincidence.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This is less of a coincidence than it sounds: he has named the boat Eline.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I may sound conspiratorial, but I don’t think it is a coincidence,” he said.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• accident 
• fate 
• fluke 
• happening