fortunately
Americanadverb
adverb
-
(sentence modifier) it is fortunate that; luckily
-
in a fortunate manner
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.
He said that weather conditions fortunately had prevented the storm from making landfall as a major Category 3.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Maybe life as a sheep isn’t so bad after all—a conclusion that Felix, fortunately, has arrived at first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“And fortunately, there was no serious injury ... We hope that the kids bounce back from this and are not too traumatized.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
And so I was dreading having to editorialize about this, but fortunately a pollster did it for me.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
The house was dark and damp-feeling even in the daytime, but fortunately the boy was used to it and walked right in.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
