fortunate
Americanadjective
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having good fortune; receiving good from uncertain or unexpected sources; lucky.
a fortunate young actor who got the lead in the play.
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bringing or indicating good fortune: resulting favorably; auspicious.
She made a fortunate decision to go on to medical school.
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well-to-do; comfortable; prosperous.
a summer camp for less fortunate fourth graders.
adjective
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having good luck; lucky
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occurring by or bringing good fortune or luck; auspicious
Usage
What are other ways to say fortunate?
Someone who is fortunate has good fortune or enjoys good luck and success. How is fortunate different from happy and lucky? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Commonly Confused
See fortuitous.
Other Word Forms
- fortunately adverb
- fortunateness noun
- quasi-fortunate adjective
- quasi-fortunately adverb
- superfortunate adjective
- superfortunately adverb
Etymology
Origin of fortunate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fortunat, from Latin fortūnātus “made prosperous or happy” (past participle of fortūnāre ); see fortune, -ate 1
Explanation
If you are lucky, you are fortunate. You can be fortunate to have avoided something terrible and you can be fortunate to have acquired, won, or been bestowed with something better than those around you, like wealth and good looks. The adjective fortunate comes from the Latin word fortunatus, meaning “prospered,” “prosperous,” “lucky,” or “happy.” Fortunate is related to the word fortune and they have similar meanings, in the sense that those fortunate enough to have a fortune most likely have gobs of money and are sometimes called “the fortunate.” When it comes to predicting the future, you could get bad news from a fortune teller about what’s in store for you, but if you’re fortunate — she’ll say something good.
Vocabulary lists containing fortunate
List 6
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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Tears of a Tiger
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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.
"I suppose we could say we have been fortunate that every time we've been relegated, we have come straight back up and so it keeps the parachute payments," said Little.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
In Samantha's case, she said she was fortunate to have a strong support system around her who could temporarily help with bills in the short-term but she still felt "absolutely mortified" at what had happened.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Messrs. Dutkiewicz and Rosenberg sensibly argue that a vast modern society can only be fed safely and affordably by means of an efficient, industrial-scale food-production apparatus—which is exactly what we are fortunate to have.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
If you’re really fortunate, you were able to walk there.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Mr. Knightley was fortunate in every body’s most ready concurrence.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
