lucky
1 Americanadjective
-
having or marked by good luck; fortunate.
That was my lucky day.
- Synonyms:
- blessed
- Antonyms:
- unfortunate
-
happening fortunately.
a lucky accident.
-
bringing or foretelling good luck, or supposed to do so.
a lucky penny.
- Synonyms:
- favorable, propitious, auspicious
noun
-
a familiar name applied to an elderly woman, especially a grandmother; granny.
-
a familiar name applied to a woman, as one's wife or a barmaid.
adjective
-
having or bringing good fortune
-
happening by chance, esp as desired
Usage
What are other ways to say lucky? Someone or something that is lucky has or is marked by good luck. How is lucky different from happy or fortunate? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of lucky1
First recorded in 1495–1505; luck + -y 1
Origin of lucky2
Explanation
When you're lucky, things work out well for you — you experience good fortune. If you're feeling lucky, it might be a good day to buy a lottery ticket or guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. Lucky people seem to have everything going for them, and your lucky charm (like a rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover) seems to bring that kind of success in your direction. Some lucky things are happy coincidences: "How lucky that I ran into you this morning!" When you're envious of someone else's big break, you can say, "You lucky devil." Lucky and luck come from the Middle Dutch gheluc, "good fortune."
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.
See Examples For:
They scheduled the party two weeks ago and got lucky when they heard the corpse flowers were in bloom on the same day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
"I have been lucky as a player. I have enjoyed happy moments, today is not such a moment. We must accept it without forgetting everything we experienced."
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“I think hardcore sports fans are more than lucky at the availability of games online,” says Bill Moseley, a fan who lives in Los Angeles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
For that price, a lucky tenant will gain access not only to a slice of life in one of California’s most exclusive communities, but also to a taste of Bloom’s personal style.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
‘You’re lucky there’s something you can do,’ muttered Torak.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Even the beloveds, wonderfuls, luckies and so on were all Dones, and the awfuls were Not-Dooes.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Kang survived, which made him luckier than others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Shahdeh Zaarb, 45, is luckier than his fellow Gazans, for he holds West Bank residency, having worked there regularly for the past 20 years.
From Barron's ● May 9, 2026
Despite their experience, Hemmings feels they are among the luckier of Figg's victims.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
As McDermott said, “You control how hard you work, and the harder you work, the luckier you’re going to get.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026
Francie was luckier than most children of the neighborhood.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
There is a small chance that whoever placed these bets was just the luckiest person in the world.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026
“Palantir and Nvidia are the two luckiest companies on the planet,” he told Lewis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, which killed 241 people on board, has said he feels like the "luckiest man" alive, but is also suffering physically and mentally.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
A list of the luckiest lotto stores in California would not be complete without a mention of Joe’s Service Center, known for producing the biggest Powerball win of all time, worth $2.04 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
“But I’m the luckiest guy on the Lower East Side, ’cause I got wheels, and you want to go for a ride.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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.
