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.
Related Words
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.
But what would have been a fortuitous goal was chalked off because the ball was deemed to have hit his elbow, which was tight to his body.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
This purchase was especially fortuitous as the facility was in an area already zoned to permit a medical clinic.
From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026
To her, it’s fortuitous timing so many milestones have occurred in the past 12 months.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025
Omar Marmoush struggled to fill in for Haaland, although Bobb nearly snatched a fortuitous equaliser with a deflected cross that Flekken blocked with his leg.
From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025
It was entirely fortuitous that Ralph bought a filly instead of a colt.
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.
