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

Per usual they locked up the crowd’s phones to see his show but fortunately there were plenty of actual cameras capturing what went on so hopefully you get to see what we saw very soon.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Among their finds is a fire extinguisher dating from 1942, newspapers from the week after D-Day, and a tin of "whole chicken in jelly" - fortunately empty.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

The will also showed that her father's lifetime savings, which fortunately were still safely in the bank, had also been left to her.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

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