Meaning & use
happenstance
Last updated
a circumstance that occurs by chance rather than design or planning.
See it in a sentence
It was pure happenstance that the two old friends ended up on the same flight.
Their meeting at the conference was happenstance, not something either had planned.
A note on using this word
Happenstance blends 'happen' and 'circumstance,' and it's often used to emphasize how unplanned or accidental an event was.
Words with a similar meaning
coincidencechance
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
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