fortuitous
Americanadjective
-
happening or produced by chance; accidental.
a fortuitous encounter.
- Synonyms:
- incidental
-
a series of fortuitous events that advanced her career.
adjective
Commonly Confused
Fortuitous has developed in sense from “happening by chance” to “happening by lucky chance” to simply “lucky, fortunate.” This development was probably influenced by the similarity of fortuitous to fortunate and perhaps to felicitous : A fortuitous late-night snowfall made for a day of great skiing. Many object to the use of fortuitous to mean simply “fortunate” and insist that it should be limited to its original sense of “accidental.” In modern standard use, however, fortuitous almost always carries the senses both of accident or chance and luck or fortune. It is infrequently used in its sense of “accidental” without the suggestion of good luck, and even less frequently in the sense “lucky” without at least a suggestion of accident or chance: A fortuitous encounter with a former schoolmate led to a new and successful career for the artist.
Synonym Usage
See accidental.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fortuitous
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin fortuitus, fortuītus, equivalent to fortu- (u-stem base, otherwise unattested, akin to fors, genitive fortis “chance, luck”) + -itus, -ītus adjective suffix (for formation cf. gratuitous); see -ous
Explanation
Fortuitous means by chance, like a lucky accident. If you and your best friend's families happen to go on vacation to the same place at the same time, that’s a fortuitous coincidence! Something fortuitous is random like an accident, but there’s no downside. A rock falling on your head is an accident, dollar bills falling on your head is fortuitous. The meaning of fortuitous is changing from "happening by chance" to "lucky chance" because people get it mixed up with fortunate. But watch out: If you say fortuitous to mean just plain lucky without the element of chance — that's a usage error.
Vocabulary lists containing fortuitous
100 Top "SAT" Words
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Grade 10, List 3
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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.
Reflecting on the fortuitous find, she said the fortune behind her discovery was not lost on her.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026
Gemmill says the appearance of a halo behind Robby's head may not have been planned by director John Wells, an executive producer of the series, "but I think it's certainly fortuitous."
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
But now they are now clued in to their fortuitous timing.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Sometimes, a swerving behind can be a fortuitous red flag, signaling hidden spinal defects before expensive MRIs are required.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026
Still, those notions of good fortune and chance have blended so much that dictionaries now accept a hybrid definition—something fortuitous is a happy accident.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
