serendipity

[ ser-uh n-dip-i-tee ]

/ ˌsɛr ənˈdɪp ɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR serendipity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

good fortune; luck: the serendipity of getting the first job she applied for.

Nearby words

Origin of serendipity

1754; Serendip + -ity; Horace Walpole so named a faculty possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip

Related formsser·en·dip·it·er, ser·en·dip·i·tist, ser·en·dip·per, noun

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

Examples from the Web for serendipity

Then came one of those weird bits of serendipity that make the writing life—and the book tour—worth all the trouble.
A Ghostwriter Steps Out of the Shadows|Bill Morris|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was thinking of new ways to engage with my audience and with a bit of serendipity and inspiration the cake was born.
DJ Steve Aoki: To Cake or Not To Cake|Steve Aoki|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I often think about the fall lines of life, the invisible tightropes that divide moments of calamity and serendipity.
Two Chickens, an Old Guitar, and a Group of Strangers: A Life-Changing Feast in Brazil|Annabel Langbein|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It strips music buying of serendipity and context, making Justin Bieber as important as the Beatles.
From Bieber to the Beatles, How the iTunes Store Brooklynized Music|Justin Moyer|May 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Get to know these three terms: Timeline, the Open Graph, and serendipity—the process of stumbling toward discovery.
What Did Facebook Change Now?|Brian Ries|September 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Serendipity, sėr-en-dip′i-ti, n. a love for rare old books and other articles of virtu.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
It was just six o'clock, and the public-house opposite the Serendipity shop was lighting up.
The Lure of Old London|Sophie Cole
It is more than this: it is a matter of observation to any one with a moderate degree of "Serendipity."
Humanly Speaking|Samuel McChord Crothers
They think of serendipity as earned, of work as bestowed, of success as deserved and reserved to the deserving.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
That polite trifler is fond of a word which he coined himself—'Serendipity.'
Miss Cayley's Adventures|Grant Allen

British Dictionary definitions for serendipity

serendipity

/ (ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪtɪ) /

noun

the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident

Derived Formsserendipitous, adjective

Word Origin for serendipity

C18: coined by Horace Walpole, from the Persian fairytale The Three Princes of Serendip, in which the heroes possess this gift

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

Word Origin and History for serendipity

serendipity

1754 (but rare before 20c.), coined by Horace Walpole (1717-92) in a letter to Horace Mann (dated Jan. 28); he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." The name is from Serendip, an old name for Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), from Arabic Sarandib, from Sanskrit Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island."

serendipity

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of serendipity

Examples from the Web for serendipity

serendipity

noun

Word Origin for serendipity

serendipity