Meaning & use
fortuitous
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Happening by chance, especially in a way that is lucky or helpful.
Grammar: Not used with 'more' or 'most'; it describes an event, not a degree.
Patterns
- fortuitous event
- fortuitous meeting
- fortuitous discovery
Their fortuitous meeting at the airport led to a lifelong friendship.
The discovery of the lost manuscript was entirely fortuitous.
It was fortuitous that the rain stopped just as the ceremony began.
Common combinations
- fortuitous circumstance
- Due to a fortuitous circumstance, we found a parking spot right away.
- purely fortuitous
- The similarity between the two designs was purely fortuitous.
- fortuitous timing
- Her arrival at that moment was fortuitous timing.
- fortuitous encounter
- A fortuitous encounter with a stranger changed his career.
Synonyms and how they differ
- accidental
- Focuses on lack of intention; fortuitous adds a sense of good luck.
- lucky
- More general and informal; fortuitous emphasizes chance rather than just good fortune.
- chance
- Used before a noun (a chance meeting); fortuitous is more formal and often implies a positive outcome.
Opposites
Word family
- fortuitously adverb
- In a way that happens by chance.
- fortuity noun
- A chance occurrence.
Commonly confused: fortuitous or fortunate?
fortuitous vs fortunate
Fortunate simply means lucky; fortuitous emphasizes that something happened by chance, often with a lucky result.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'It was a ______ coincidence that we both chose the same restaurant.'
Choose one answer.
Fortuitous means happening by chance, which fits 'coincidence'. Fortunate means lucky but does not emphasize chance. Fortitudinous means brave, and fortified means strengthened.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fortuitous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.