happenstance

[ hap-uh n-stans ]

/ ˈhæp ənˌstæns /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR happenstance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a chance happening or event.

RELATED WORDS

coincidence, incident, fate, luck

Nearby words

Origin of happenstance

First recorded in 1895–1900; happen + (circum)stance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for happenstance

All of these differences add up to make each planet unique, a product of happenstance and history.
The Best Map of Mars Yet|Matthew R. Francis|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The success that followed 16 years later was a matter of happenstance, not of strategy.
Fool's Gold|David Frum|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is contrasted to happenstance decision making based on impulsiveness and wishful thinking.
Sequential Problem Solving|Fredric Lozo
The German was just a happenstance, a castaway in the war for Arzachel.
First on the Moon|Jeff Sutton

As for deceased, his ontimely evaporation that a-way is but the frootes of happenstance.
Faro Nell and Her Friends|Alfred Henry Lewis
But the happenstance habits of nature were steadily being integrated into the control program of man.
The Thirst Quenchers|Rick Raphael
Out of the chaos of happenstance they were finding rules of order, certain formulas of behavior, equations of force.
Empire|Clifford Donald Simak

British Dictionary definitions for happenstance

happenstance

/ (ˈhæpənˌstæns) /

noun

chance

a chance occurrence

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