serendipity

[ser-uhn-dip-i-tee]

noun

plural

serendipities 

1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

2. accidental discovery, or an instance of this.

   Alton’s premiere novel was a serendipity that affected my thinking in the most positive way.

3. good fortune; luck.

   What serendipity—she got the first job she applied for!

serendipity

/ ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪtɪ /

noun

1. the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident

Other Word Forms

• serendipiter noun
• serendipitist noun
• serendipper noun
• serendipitous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of serendipity¹

Serendip + -ity; coined in 1754 by English novelist Horace Walpole ( def. ) for an ability possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip, using a former name for Sri Lanka

Word History and Origins

Origin of serendipity¹

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

Example Sentences

Then in the 1940s, "serendipity" catapulted it into the big time, says Prof Silhavy.

From BBC

He added that the whole thing has a "special kind of serendipity" and is "exactly what we wanted to unlock with Welsh National Theatre".

From BBC

The two messaged back and forth about the serendipity of it all, and needless to say, “the date went really well,” Derraugh said, smiling shyly.

From Los Angeles Times

And they’re the product not of planning, but serendipity, a crucial feature of scientific progress.

From Los Angeles Times

A few years later, Henson and his wife, Gayle, opened a dude ranch in Santa Barbara County called, in a stroke of eventual marketing serendipity, Hidden Valley Ranch.

From Salon

Related Words

• fluke 
• happenstance