serendipitous
Americanadjective
-
come upon or found by accident; fortuitous.
serendipitous scientific discoveries.
-
serendipitous weather for our vacation.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of serendipitous
First recorded in 1940–45; serendipit(y) + -ous
Explanation
Serendipitous is an adjective that describes accidentally being in the right place at the right time, like bumping into a good friend in some unusual location, or finding a hundred dollar bill on the ground. The root of serendipitous comes from the fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," in which three princes make one lucky and surprising discovery after another. A serendipitous moment happens by accident, usually when you’re doing something completely unrelated, like digging a hole in your yard to bury your hamster and finding a treasure chest of jewels. That’s a sad but serendipitous funeral.
Vocabulary lists containing serendipitous
This Week in Words: July 14 - 20, 2018
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Right on Time
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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.
"It's serendipitous timing," says Prof Jim Wild, a space physicist at Lancaster University and a member of the AuroraWatch UK team, which lets people know when the Northern Lights might be seen in the UK.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
Daniel Holz -- a University of Chicago astrophysicist focused on black holes, who was not involved in the study -- told AFP the "serendipitous" nature of the latest example makes it particularly exciting.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
Locals pick up their parcels at the downtown post office, where, locals say, serendipitous run-ins with neighbors are an essential part of the small-town charm.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
"This whole project was a bit of a serendipitous discovery. We didn't expect to see these cavity effects, but we're excited to use them to manipulate phenomena in quantum materials going forward," said Bretscher.
From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025
But the most serendipitous aspect of the CPS program—for the sake of a study, at least—is how the school-choice game was played.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
